


Tales from the Black Book

by Ulan



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: (apparently is a legit kink omfg), (so non-compliant lol), Adventure (sort of), Almost Crack, Drugged Sex (with consent), Erestor's size kink, Fairy Tale Retellings, Foot Jobs, Glorfindel's kissing kink, Guided Fantasy, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar Non-Compliant, M/M, Mild BDSM, MiniGuy, Mirror Sex, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Smut, Spells & Enchantments, Wall Sex, What else did I miss, cursed items, fuck or die (sort of), sex to get out of every chapter, sex while one is asleep, yeah basically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-22 05:49:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 56,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8275061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulan/pseuds/Ulan
Summary: When your colleague tells you not to touch a suspicious-looking book, it might do you well to listen to him.Two Elves get trapped in an enchanted book. The way out: act out the part of the characters, one chapter to the next. Now, this would not have been a problem... had it not been THAT kind of book.





	1. Prologue - Library, Imladris

**Author's Note:**

> This is crack (as much as I can write crack, that is) and smut (which by now I know I apparently can do a lot of given the right/wrong conditions). 
> 
> I have long loved fractured tales and I recently got into them again. If anyone is into playing interactive fiction, that is mostly the platform I get them from and the narration for this story takes after that style of playing. Old school game, but really entertaining if you're that type of nerd. [Here is a link to an easy game ](http://inform7.com/learn/eg/bronze/index.html) if anyone wants to try it out. :D

There was something about his presence that called attention. Nevermind that he entered a room quietly, or that his footfalls hardly made any sound, or that he moved unobtrusively as though he loathed the way people stood on ceremony whenever they were in his presence. None of that mattered, for all the same people tended to look at him, this reborn lord of old, for one could hardly miss the way the firelight homed in on his bright Vanyarin hair, or the way his inner light shone to those who knew how to look. 

Glorfindel walked down the library with a mild sort of interest. He perused the labels on the shelves and even touched a few books, pulled them from their nooks to browse through their contents. Always he returned them where he found them before resuming his walk, off to the next shelf. 

From a lit corner of the room, Counsellor Erestor watched the newcomer browse through the aisles. It was a quiet night, and to his knowledge none save the two of them were in that library. That he even had company at all surprised Erestor, given the late hour. 

He looked down at the book in his gloved hands, carefully leafing through it and making sure the ink from the quill he was holding would not drip on the old pages. It did not seem as if Glorfindel noticed he had company, but it also did not seem as if he was looking for trouble. Erestor therefore decided to leave him to his tour. 

Silence reigned for only a little while, for of course Glorfindel did soon notice Erestor, and wasted no time in approaching him. 

"Master Erestor, good evening," he greeted good-naturedly. He smiled when the old counsellor looked up at him from his filing. 

"Captain," the other greeted with a nod. His movements were small, almost terse; Glorfindel had long noticed that about him. Warm was hardly something one would use to describe Counsellor Erestor, but he was a respectable sort of Elf, good to have in council to deter those who tended to be boorish and long-winded. Nothing like a sharp-eyed, sharp-tongued high official to hit you where it hurt, after all. He entertained Glorfindel in council with his caustic comments often enough for him to be memorable. Apart from this, Glorfindel knew little about him.

"If I may say it, it is a surprise seeing you here," remarked Erestor even as he returned to his work.

"Not in the profile, I know," grinned Glorfindel, but his eyes looked around the room with the sort of fondness one would typically associate with an avid reader. "Libraries have their unique charm though, do they not? It is good to visit from time to time, although this one is rather more impressive than most. Imladris is a small realm, so I was surprised to find a library as great as this."

Erestor nodded, observing Glorfindel carefully. Compliments to the library never failed to flatter him, though for the most part, he remained silent. He and Elrond were loremasters first and foremost, and so Imladris having this great of a repository was perhaps inevitable. They brought a lot of their old things with them when they had the chance to travel here to Lindon and back, and the collection just grew from there.

"What are these?" Glorfindel looked down at the books scattered on the long table that stood between them. Despite the relaxed air of earlier, Erestor seemed to stiffen when the books were brought to attention, which did not escape his companion.

"New acquisitions," Erestor simply said.

"Do you usually file them this late at night?"

Erestor sighed, resigning himself to acknowledging the titles on the table. "These are the... sensitive acquisitions. Back shelves sort of items I would prefer few people know about."

Glorfindel's eyebrows rose. "We have those?"

"Of course." Erestor was about to say more, but Glorfindel had begun to lift his hands to take a book from the table. The counsellor held up a gloved hand toward him to stop him, and quickly said, "Do not touch, please."

Glorfindel peered up at him from his examination of one of the titles. His lips quirked up in amusement even as he stubbornly took a book from the top of the stack. "Some of these do not look that old, and if another thing is your concern, I would remind you that I am, in fact, of age."

Erestor made an annoyed sound even as he shot Glorfindel a disapproving glare. "Just what kind of books do you think these are?"

"Well, I don't know, perhaps if you were not so vague I would not make such strange assumptions about the types of books you read." He opened the book in his hands, mindlessly looking at the strange pictures and diagrams. "What are these, anyway? They do not look that ancient that I cannot touch them with bare hands." Finally, a few words registered to him. His head flew up to look at Erestor in surprise. "Are these spell books?"

"Yes," answered Erestor through gritted teeth. "So, I shall tell you again: do not touch. We do not know what dangers they pose." Glorfindel did not seem to be listening and even moved to reach out for a book Erestor specifically placed apart from the rest. Erestor quickly snatched it. "I was especially warned about this book. _Do not touch,_ Glorfindel."

"But this is just silly!" Glorfindel threw up his hands with a disbelieving laugh. "Do not tell me an Elf as bright as you are actually believe in such things. Spells, curses? They are not real; they are but words and rituals done by the Secondborn who fancy themselves learned in the craft of Elves."

"I do hope you do not speak such nonsense in educated company in this age, Captain, for those types of opinions clue people in to the fact that you spent a good part of two ages asleep."

" _Educated_ company? Erestor, please tell me you are joking."

Erestor stubbornly pushed on. "There is little yet we know about it, but we have heard of reports that tell us of the possibility that Men in the Southern realms may have progressed much better than we--"

He was cut off by another burst of surprised laughter from the blond captain. "You are not joking!" With Erestor thus distracted, Glorfindel quickly snatched the book from the other's hand. "Look, what warnings come with this one anyway? Plain black cover - oh, very ominous indeed - but I suppose it is just another book of spells, no?"

"Glorfindel, I told you not to touch it!"

Erestor angrily pulled the gloves from his hands and slammed them on the table even as he began to walk briskly to where Glorfindel was. However, in the time that it took him to go around the table to cross to where Glorfindel stood at the other side, the reborn lord had already skimmed through the contents of the black book.

Bright blue eyes had grown wide in their sockets.

"First of all," he began even as his eyes furiously flew across the pages, "I am touching it and I am fine. But more importantly - I thought you said these are not those kinds of books!"

"For the love of the Valar, do you never listen?" Erestor was almost upon him, and his eyes shone with an angry sort of panic. "I knew it, take a blockhead of a warrior into a library and still he will not--"

The counsellor was not able to finish this statement, for in the moment Erestor reached Glorfindel, two things happened. In his attempt to take the book out of Erestor's reach, Glorfindel held it up on his far side and caught Erestor's grabbing hand with the other. Both Elves only had a moment to register a strange pulling sensation before a fell wind seemed to blast past them, dissolving the library in a whirlwind of colour, strong enough that it seemed as though it took them along with the tempest--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--and dropped them unceremoniously on a sunlit, grass-covered ground.


	2. A Cottage in the Woods

When they came to, they were lying a few paces apart in a clearing in the middle of the woods.

Already, both knew that something was wrong. The fact that they were outside in broad daylight already rang many alarm bells, and Erestor even caught Glorfindel groping along his side where a sword - or perhaps a dagger, if he was out for a walk in the evenings - would be. The warrior's hand lifted and came out empty.

Erestor pulled himself to stand. He quickly patted himself and noted with some alarm that he was wearing a different set of robes - black, all black from his head to the shoes on his feet. A quick look at Glorfindel, who was also pushing himself off the ground, told him that the other was mostly in the same state, only he was wearing something like riding clothes, in neutral colours.

A small cottage stood in the middle of that clearing. It looked ordinary with its white painted walls of stone and thatched roof. Low bushes and potted flowers lined the front, and there was even a stone pathway that led to it from the woods, welcoming visitors with upfront warmth.

Erestor, of course, wanted nothing to do with it. He turned on his heels and walked towards the woods.

"Hey, where are you going?" Glorfindel called behind him.

Erestor ignored him, expecting the other would follow if he had any brain inside that thick skull of his. Sure enough, he soon heard the sound of running behind him, coming nearer.

"Are you mad? Do not separate us when we are in an unknown place, and do not just run off without telling me."

"If you knew what you are talking about, Captain, you would also known not to raise your voice in an unknown woods."

This effectively shut Glorfindel up, and he fell in step beside Erestor without saying anything more. The ground before them was dotted by dappled sunlight streaming past the canopy, and for a while they stayed that way, just walking along straight path.

Soon, Erestor saw a bright light at the end of the path. Remembering Glorfindel's earlier warning, he grudgingly grabbed the other's wrist and pulled him towards the light.

They exited the woods at yet another clearing, with another white stone structure before them. This one, however, only had a solid wall facing them, whereas the first one had windows and a door up front. Erestor surveyed their surroundings while Glorfindel's eyes remained glued on the building.

"Just what is going on?" Glorfindel whispered, making Erestor turn to him. The blond seemed troubled and did not look at Erestor.

He ran past Erestor, who quickly frowned and followed him around the building. He was about to call the other on not getting them separated, but then his attention was drawn to what Glorfindel was looking at. Erestor's heart sank.

It was the same cottage from earlier. They were only looking at it from the back.

"Right," said Glorfindel. "This is not creepy at all."

This immediately had the blood rushing to Erestor's ears. "I told you not to touch that book."

"How was I supposed to know books in this age can do something like this?" Glorfindel sighed and scratched his head. "Ah, damn it. Nothing to it, though. We should just examine the house. Are you coming?"

Erestor looked at him with thinly veiled annoyance as Glorfindel began to walk the stone pathway to the door. He watched as the captain tested the knob. 

It was open.

"This is seriously going against every survival instinct I have," muttered Glorfindel even as he pushed the door open and beckoned Erestor to come closer.

The captain was the first to enter. When nothing happened when he set foot in the middle of the room, he tipped his head over to Erestor, who then stepped forward to stand at the threshold of the door. Erestor did not stray far, however, for he was not above thinking that the door would close shut behind them once they were both inside.

"Curious place," said Glorfindel as he began to examine the cottage.

It was just a single furnished room, only a few paces wide, nearly only as big as Glorfindel's own quarters in Imladris. Upon entering, one would immediately be standing in the dining area, where a rectangular wooden table stood with two chairs on either side. There was a kitchen over in the corner, neatly clean and with a bowl of fruit near the edge of the counter. Beside the entrance was a small sofa, just wide enough to fit two. In front of it, pushed to another corner of the room, was a bed and a small table beside it, upon which stood an old lantern.

"Very curious," repeated Glorfindel.

Erestor sighed, and looked behind him to the woods outside. From the look of things, it seemed early still, high noon perhaps, sometime in autumn. That was not far from where they were in terms of seasons in Imladris, but whether they were even near Imladris anymore was another question.

"Bloody..." Erestor began to say under his breath, but he stopped himself just barely from cursing. His eyes strayed to the trees, to the sky above them, to the innocent looking pots of plants; everything looked so unhelpfully ordinary. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" he asked almost to himself.

Something caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. He looked to where Glorfindel now stood beside the bed. The other, it looked like, had thrown a large cape around his shoulders and was tying it in place.

"What are you doing?" Erestor asked him not without some exasperation.

"It was on the floor over here," said Glorfindel in answer, as if wearing suspicious clothes on the floor was the most natural thing in Arda. "It is a rather striking colour, no? Although I have been told several times that red is not my colour. I think you would even be better suited to it."

Sure enough, when Glorfindel stepped into the light again, Erestor could see that the cape was indeed a solid block of red. It was a handsome piece, to be sure, an interesting combination given Glorfindel's colouring, but Erestor only had a moment to grudgingly admire him before something about it drew his attention.

Glorfindel quickly caught the troubled look on Erestor's face. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Erestor had to swallow a lump in his throat. "Glorfindel, come here."

Despite his own confusion, Glorfindel still obediently went and stood in front of Erestor. The counsellor then quickly lifted both hands and reached for something past Glorfindel's ears.

"Erestor, what are you--"

Erestor pulled at the cloth, and in the next moment, Glorfindel's head was covered by the hood of the red cloak.

The troubled look now turned into wide-eyed shock.

"No, it cannot be," whispered Erestor. He was quickly looking behind him again at the clearing, and then on the ground around them and even on the floor behind Glorfindel. "Where is the book, Glorfindel?"

Without waiting for an answer, Erestor stepped further inside the cottage. Confused by this sudden panic, Glorfindel followed him, making token searches of the floor and the surrounding furniture, searching for the black book from earlier, though he knew not why the other needed it.

"It is not here. Did we lose it?" Glorfindel looked at Erestor, who now looked truly pale. "Erestor?"

Erestor shook his head as he briefly covered his face with both hands. He took a deep breath.

"We did not lose it," he said. "We are in it!"

This, at first, Glorfindel met with stunned silence. They stood that way, either Elf hardly breathing. Eventually, Glorfindel deflated, shoulders going down in on himself from under the red hood.

"Oh," he said. "Now, normally, I would tell you that that is ridiculous and impossible. However, given the circumstances, I did find myself transported to an unknown location without my knowing, so perhaps I ought to give you the benefit of the doubt this time around."

"Glorfindel." Erestor's tone was one of resigned and forced patience. He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nevermind. We have to get out of here."

"Splendid suggestion!" exclaimed the captain. "Any plans on how we should go about that?"

Erestor sighed at him, not understanding where the other still got his energy given their predicament. "Search the house," he told him. "Find anything that could point us to a way out."

Glorfindel, thankfully, was only quick to obey. They searched the cottage for anything that could help them, but the few books that could be found, Erestor was dismayed to find, were nothing more than bound blank pages.

Over in the kitchen, Glorfindel discovered that the fruits were real enough, but they were hardly sufficient for a stay of longer than a day. The cupboards were also empty. Further checks of the room showed that there was nothing under the bed, nor even under anything; the place was spotless, nothing more than a clean house.

"This is pointless. Nothing about this house strikes me as useful," lamented Erestor after some time. He sat on one of the chairs around the dining table, suddenly exhausted.

"Perhaps outside the house again?" asked Glorfindel.

Erestor did not answer him, and anyway it did not seem as if Glorfindel was waiting for a response. He stepped out of the cottage again, likely to search the surrounding area, but Erestor doubted he would find anything.

What kind of book was this? Of its contents, Erestor had a good idea. The old merchant who sold them the books had not struck him as ill-spirited, and he was even the one who warned Erestor about touching this particular book. He had not noticed anything odd about the book when he last examined it, but apparently, the merchant's warnings did not prove false, for here they were.

What was the point, though? Why take readers in? What did the book or whomever was responsible for it intend for its captives to do? Why did nothing happen to Glorfindel when he touched it, only for the enchantment to come alive when he touched Erestor as well? And why this book?

It was at this point that something to him fell in place like the unsettling click of a lock turning, and at which point that Glorfindel also returned and found Erestor sitting in the dining area. The warrior took one look at his companion's pallor to know that something changed since he was last in the room.

"What is it? Have you thought of something?"

"No," was the quick response - too quick, in fact, that Glorfindel was immediately suspicious.

"Really. Come now, Erestor. Whatever it is, just say it. At this point, no idea is a bad idea... that is, unless you are about to tell me that there is no escape for us, in which case, yes, I would then be upset."

Erestor's fingers were at the bridge of his nose again and he had a pained look on his face. "I do not think it is technically a bad idea. That is, it is a bad idea in the sense that I sincerely do not want to do it, but at the same time, I do not think an alternative even--"

"Erestor," Glorfindel cut in. "Just spit it out."

The counsellor heaved a sigh. "This is a story book, correct?" he asked, after a bit of hesitation. "We could... complete it. That is, act out... what is in the stories."

"Act out what is in the stories," Glorfindel carefully repeated. "What do you mean by 'stories'?"

"This book is a series of stories - unrelated to one another, but they do have a common theme. They are versions of well-known tales - mostly Secondborn children's tales, only they are..." He drifted, hesitated. "That is... well, you have read a bit of it." There is a flush now on Erestor's face as he continued on to say, "It is that kind of book."

"Smut, you mean," Glorfindel boldy clarified, which immediately deepened the flush on the counsellor's face and had his hackles rising. The captain mostly ignored this reaction, however, lost as he was in his own thoughts. He sat down on the chair across Erestor. "Based on children's tales? No wonder you are putting this book in the back shelves. Why do we even have books like these?"

Erestor sighed again and dropped his head, fingers steepled with the tips touching between his eyes. "You will be surprised what types of things we receive. We do not actually keep all of them."

"Who decides what we keep?"

"I do."

Glorfindel actually had the audacity to laugh. "While I never had reason to doubt your tastes, Counsellor, might I make a suggestion about this one?"

Erestor glared at him, adequately communicating without words how unnecessary Glorfindel's input on the matter was.

"Besides," continued the captain, "how do we even know what we are supposed to do?"

"I have read the book. Obviously, I would know."

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at this. "Again, Erestor, if we could only discuss your choice of pastimes instead of all those boring assignments you hoist on us, council would be so much more exciting."

Erestor awarded this remark with a bland stare. "I read everything, Captain, which is an idea that I understand must be completely alien to the likes of you."

Glorfindel did not respond to the insult with words, but his lips did quirk in amusement, which Erestor supposed meant he was not that offended. He figured he must not have been that far off the mark, in that case.

"This shall go down in my books as the strangest proposition I have ever heard," Glorfindel eventually said with a chuckle, which once again had him at the receiving end of a glare.

"It is hardly that!" protested Erestor. "Had we not been saddled with such a dilemma, believe me when I say that I would never be anywhere near your bed."

Glorfindel, with all his gall, merely laughed again. "Erestor, calm down. I meant no offense." He held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Now, Master Bookworm, if you would be so kind. What happens in this story?"

Erestor still could not help the heat that suffused his face, but with a last glare thrown at Glorfindel, he pushed on, clearing his throat the best he could. This was his idea, after all. "The hooded girl gets eaten by the wolf," he forced himself to say. Instead of saying more, he opted for looking at Glorfindel pointedly to let him know that he did not mean that in the literal sense.

Glorfindel's eyebrows rose. "I don't quite remember the story going in that direction. I thought it was the grandmother who was devoured."

"I do not suppose grandmothers hold much appeal in these types of books," said Erestor. "After all, such things call for very specific tastes, though they do have their own genre if your interests lie in those directions."

It was yet another caustic retort meant to insult and offend, but it only succeeded in once again getting Glorfindel to laugh. He shook his head at Erestor. "You really are well-read, if you reached even those things in your literary exploration. I admit I myself have not even gone that far."

Erestor leaned back and lifted his eyes to the ceiling, hands clenched in fists on his lap. "I really do not want to do this."

To this, Glorfindel just sighed. "I suppose it is good that this book did come with a warning," he said, a little more subdued this time around. "Imagine if the younger ones got a hold of it. Old as we both are, it likely would not be as scarring as it would have been for someone less experienced in these matters." Granted, he only assumed Erestor's experience given his years, not to mention that the counsellor was far from unattractive. "As for us, unfortunately, this seems to be the only plan we have. The more I think about it, the more it even begins to make sense." He paused, then added, "That is, as far as any of this makes sense to me anyway."

Erestor took a deep, calming breath, closing his eyes in an attempt to settle himself somewhat despite the events of the evening-- day, whatever time it was. "Let's just get this over with."

The counsellor immediately stood up, and without asking, pulled Glorfindel - ridiculous hood and all - to his feet as well.

"What? Wait, hey, what are you doing?" Glorfindel just had enough time to ask before Erestor was pushing him on the bed. The humble thing creaked with the sound of worn bed springs under their combined weight. Erestor pushed Glorfindel further up so he was lying in the middle of the mattress on top of the covers.

"Were you not willing?" asked Erestor as he placed one knee between Glorfindel's spread legs.

Glorfindel blinked up at him. "Well, yes, but... do you mean to say that _you_ will..."

"At the moment, I rather prefer to be on this end. Besides, you are already wearing the hood." He tipped his chin on the material around Glorfindel's shoulders.

"Is that important?"

Erestor sighed. "Honestly, right now, I really do not know what we are doing, least of all which details are important. I did wonder what it was about, us changing attire like this. I figured they are clues to what roles we are supposed to play."

"Fair enough. Right. All right. But!" Glorfindel sat up from his lying position to grab Erestor's hands, which were already working on the ties of Glorfindel's breeches. Erestor looked up at him with another look of annoyance, to which Glorfindel had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry, but... do you mind if we... that is, may I kiss you first?"

Erestor sat back, stunned. "You are kidding, right?"

The captain's lips curled up again, though this time he looked more bemused than anything else. "Come now, Erestor. I do not make it a habit to fall into bed with every Elf I get trapped in a room with - or forest, as the case may be - so..." He frowned at the odd look that suddenly settled on Erestor's face. "What is that look for?"

"That is not what I have heard," the counsellor simply said, one dark eyebrow raised.

"Listening to gossip, Master Erestor? For shame." Glorfindel waved a hand at him, eyes straying to one side of the room. He had some idea of what Erestor must have heard. People could not help but make rumours about the reborn lord of Gondolin, after all, rumours that surprisingly survived long, even after all the turmoil they experienced over the years. It had even come to a point when a few of the more outrageous ones reached Glorfindel. They were all rather terrible.

"Whatever it is that you heard, it is not true," he told Erestor. "I have only had a few lovers in my lifetime and I was rather fond of nearly all of them, for each came with their own precious story. Casual dalliances are not my thing, and while I have always found you intriguing, Counsellor, I hardly know you."

Erestor made a sound that was half chuckle, half grunt. "I would not have expected you to be such a maiden about all of this."

It was Glorfindel this time who glared at the other. He pushed Erestor off of him and moved to rise. "Right, forget it. You know, a few times I thought perhaps you are not so bad, but sometimes you also say the most terrible things. Forget it. Who cares if we stay trapped in here anyway?"

The golden-haired Elf sat up and began to roll over to the other side of the bed. With a hissed sound of annoyance, Erestor pulled him by the arm and pushed him once again on his back, to the other's mild surprise and affront. Glorfindel looked about to protest once again, but this time, Erestor held his chin steady, before then leaning over to press their lips together.

Now, Erestor had his reasons for being so against this. There were many things that people claimed about Lord Glorfindel, things that did not necessarily seem untrue, for an Elf as beautiful as he hardly needed much to inspire lust in a partner. As it was, Erestor could not suppress a sigh as he pressed his lips more firmly against the other's. It did not take long before hands were on the sides of his face, holding him as those soft lips opened up from under his like a fresh bud blooming.

It would not be something he would readily admit to anyone, but kissing Glorfindel... was everything he had heard people say it was. Despite Glorfindel's earlier protestations, and despite that it was Erestor who initiated the kiss, Glorfindel soon seemed to take the lead. Blue eyes drifted closed and there were fingers in Erestor's hair as their lips brushed hotly against one another, with each nip and kiss drowning and flowing one after the other. The tip of a tongue even strayed inside Erestor's mouth, as though its owner could not help it, tempting Erestor for but a moment before disappearing back to where it came. Erestor, already seduced, fell and took the bait; he chased and pulled that tongue back in his mouth, and Glorfindel was only quick to acquiesce.

It was surprisingly too good a kiss.

"Damn it," whispered Erestor before his lips were captured in yet another searing kiss. He wondered how true it was, Glorfindel's claim of a humble love life, if people could perfectly describe what it was like to be so pulled in by these luscious lips, soft and generous and hot and-- What was with this Elf? As if it was not bad enough that he was the most attractive Elf in Imladris, but to truly be the god in bed as everyone claimed... it was downright unfair.

"Hmm..." Glorfindel, apparently an easy one to convince, remained blissfully ignorant of Erestor's thoughts. He hardly cared, so well was he enjoying the kiss, which he was in no hurry to end as he chased after those lips even as the other began to pull away. "After this, I should really like to get to know you better. Over tea, perhaps, or maybe something like a night cap."

Erestor almost laughed, so ridiculous was that idea.

"All right already," he said with a sigh that he hoped only seemed put upon, instead of it being of one lost in pleasure. Not that it would damage him too much, really, given the way Glorfindel had almost melted from beneath him. Having deemed Glorfindel humoured enough, this time, Erestor finally and truly pulled away. "Satisfied?" he asked the Elf before him.

Glorfindel opened his eyes and Erestor was met with dazzling blue. A slow, rakish grin spread across those kiss-swollen lips. "It will do."

The counsellor rolled his eyes, before then beginning to once again undo the laces on Glorfindel's breeches. He successfully pulled them off this time around and wasted no time in pulling them down Glorfindel's hips. "The way you act, it is as if you are the one doing me a favour."

"I don't mind it if we switch, I could--" 

A surprised groan cut through what Glorfindel was supposed to say as Erestor's mouth cut to the chase. He immediately licked and sucked in the hardness that was already pressing earlier against Glorfindel's breeches - that _had_ been an excellent kiss, after all, and Erestor was already pressing down against convenient places. He laved the column of flesh with his tongue and effectively brought it to full mast after only a bit of extra attention. 

Glorfindel's words sounded like they were coming from behind gritted teeth. "I... nevermind. That's... mmh, yes. Yes, better you after all. You are good at this."

He talked too much, really, and so Erestor exhaled through his nose and descended upon him once again. Valar, Glorfindel was a mouthful. It had been a while for Erestor, so it took him some time before he could take Glorfindel down to the base. The latter had no complaints, however, for Erestor's hand had been equally busy in the meantime, squeezing and running up and down the length where his mouth was not able to reach.

Glorfindel's groan was loud as Erestor finally sucked him whole. The heat of him filled Erestor's mouth, and popped out of it with a satisfying sound as Erestor sucked back up that great cock. He laid his tongue flat against the underside and dragged a slow line up, from base to head, licking at the slit before wrapping his lips again around the head, the tip of his tongue playing inside it and tasting some of what Glorfindel already leaked. Glorfindel moaned out his pleasure at the sensory onslaught, his voice bouncing off the walls of the otherwise silent cottage.

"Damn," he gasped out when Erestor pulled back slightly, allowing them both some rest. His fingers curled against the other's dark hair as that soft, hot mouth came upon him again. "Damn, damn, damn it, what is with that? You are too good at this."

Erestor sucked back up before releasing him, pulling another groan from Glorfindel. Fingers ran up the length of his cock, distracting him as Erestor used his mouth to speak. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Glorfindel arched up against those fingers. "I have never had it like-- Just how often do you even _do_ this? How many partners have you had?"

Erestor scowled. "I suggest you refrain from asking rude questions while someone has their teeth near your cock."

Bright blue eyes widened as said cock was caught in a suddenly viscious squeeze. "Ah, stop! I did not mean it like-- I mean, I was just..." It was poor, unintelligible apology, really, but Erestor seemed to relent, and started mouthing around Glorfindel again. His tongue flicked out every once in a while, traced up the length of him, lapped at the head, taking his time. He built up that pleasure until Glorfindel just wanted to curl in on him, keep him there where he was and never release him. "Fuck. Fuck, Erestor. I have never had it this..."

He surged up again as Erestor began to bob up and down, sucking Glorfindel in deep and releasing almost completely before descending again. Helplessly, Glorfindel's hips began to thrust up to that mouth despite his attempts to remain still. This did not seem to bother Erestor anyway, for his mouth seemed to even smoothly swallow Glorfindel in, welcoming each thrust, effectively driving the Elf beneath him mad.

"Oh!" Another gasp, hands, fingers, _everything_ growing tense. "Erestor. Erestor, wait..."

If anything, this stilted warning only seemed to spur the counsellor on. Valar, who would have thought he would be capable of--

"Erestor, stop. I'm close..."

Erestor looked up at Glorfindel, not sure what it was about him. It could be that the other seemed to be an adequately pleasing lover, honest and generous in his compliments, or at least in letting his partner know he liked what was being done to him. He was surprisingly transparent in bed, which was how Erestor liked his partners to be. He was beautiful, too, drowned in pleasure, and was absolutely delectable against Erestor's tongue, hot and heavy and of a satisfying girth. Erestor did not even care enough anymore to deny him that, unfairly blessed by the Valar or no, for Erestor could not get enough of him.

"Go ahead," he murmured against the head, which he kept between his lips. He ran his tongue up along the length again, letting the taste of it wash through him that he closed his eyes, feeling the pleasure building within himself as well. He actually liked doing this, especially for a lover as vocal as Glorfindel. He wrapped his mouth around that cock, moaned around it, before sucking it down again.

Glorfindel cried out as he came, legs bending at the knees as he released inside Erestor mouth. It seemed it had been a while for him, too, or was at least intensely aroused by the proceedings that he nearly choked Erestor with a different kind of mouthful. Erestor gamely relaxed his throat, however, swallowing down what he could, though some of it dribbled still past his lips.

Glorfindel laid bonelessly against the creaking mattress, his breaths almost painful, so deeply did he gulp them in. Erestor's dark head pulled his attention though as the other rose up, fingers wiping delicately at his mouth. If Glorfindel had not just peaked as intensely as he just did, the sight of his own come on Erestor's flushed face would have had him hard in an instant.

"You..." he gasped out, though his breath failed him at the last moment. He tiredly touched Erestor's chin with a finger, wiping off a spot there that the other missed. "That was..." He tried again. "Thank you. I mean, that was lovely."

Erestor smirked down at him, seemingly amused by his disjointed speech and still distracted state. Well, the counsellor could be amused and smug if he wanted to be, thought Glorfindel, for this time at least he earned it.

Erestor was about to remark on the glassy-eyed look Glorfindel still had on his face. It seemed that the captain truly did know how to flatter a lover; no wonder he was so widely wanted. But Erestor was not able to finish that thought, for a familiar pulling sensation stretched the air around them again--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--and when the world righted itself once more, Erestor could only shake his head, willing his eyes to focus.

Somewhere behind him, he heard Glorfindel's, "I cannot believe that worked," just as Erestor began to look around them. His hunch had proven correct, but this was one of those times that being right filled him with dismay.

They were out of the cottage... but neither were they in the library.


	3. A House Beside a River

They found themselves in front of another house, slightly larger than the first. A line of trees stood behind the house leading to yet another woods, but the trees there looked different to where they earlier were.

The house was built on the inner bend of a river, so that to one side, where there was a mill, was one end of the river. The river then bent and ran across the front of the house and straight on to the other side, as far as the eyes could see. On the other side of the river were more trees, and snowy mountain peaks peered from above the canopy. It did not look as if there was any way across that river.

Erestor turned to where he thought he last saw Glorfindel. Sure enough, there stood the captain behind him, patting the dirt off from himself and his clothes - a different set this time, although that was to be expected. It was what he was holding, however, that made Erestor frown in dismay.

Erestor looked down at himself to confirm his hunch, and immediately cursed.

"I am having such a bad day," he muttered to himself. He was wearing house clothes, with a sort of apron dusted with what he hoped was flour tied around his waist.

This drew Glorfindel's attention. "Hm? I don't know, I was about to consider that mine just started to look up."

This Erestor met with a curious stare; he had not expected such a comment. Glorfindel caught him looking and had the gall to smile and wink at him.

Really, something was wrong with that Elf.

"I mostly meant the story," Erestor clarified. He untied the apron from himself and threw it on the ground, thinking he had no use for it now that he had seen it. "I remember the story for this one, and judging by the way we look, I just imagined where this is supposed to go."

"Aah." Glorfindel looked down upon himself, noting the seemingly plain clothes, but upon closer inspection, the materials used for them were far from humble. Fine leather, thick cloth, and he even thought he saw gold threads - he wondered what the story was behind all that. The most notable feature about his character though is the small basket in his hand, filled to the brim with bright red apples. That, at least, rang a few bells.

"I think I know what story this is," he told Erestor.

Erestor just nodded to him. With but a cursory glance at their surroundings, the counsellor then proceeded towards the house; experience from the last story taught him not to waste time exploring outside.

This house was wider than the last, but the ceiling was lower, the wooden beams within reach; Erestor needed not even stretch his full arm. There were more things here: a stack of plates in the cupboard, more food, a wide sitting room and eight chairs around the low dining table.

Sunlight streamed from a window in the kitchen where a centre island stood, above which hung pots, pans and other cooking accoutrements like vegetables on an overhead lattice. It had a very homey feel to it, and even there at the centre of the kitchen island was a pie, left to cool.

Erestor approached it for closer inspection.

Glorfindel entered the house and found Erestor setting down two plates and forks on the table.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Glorfindel when the other stood nearer. He nodded at the pie. "Gooseberry pie. I believe it to be but an element to the story, so it should be harmless. The princess just finished making it when the story reached a crucial point."

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow even as he continued to watch his companion set glasses of water on the table before taking the pie from the counter. A passing thought occurred to him, and he grinned.

"Didn't you just eat?"

Erestor did not immediately get it, but when he did, his glare was unlike any other he had thrown at Glorfindel. "You are a right pervert, do you know that?"

Glorfindel laughed unrepentantly, but did join and sat across him on the table. Erestor all but threw a serving knife at him, so Glorfindel thought it best to take the responsibility of slicing the pie for the both of them.

"For a thing in a book, it is rather tasty," he remarked later, when they have both had a taste of the thing.

Erestor just grunted from across the table.

"So tell me about this book," said Glorfindel. "How and where did we get it?"

Erestor looked like he was thinking about whether or not to humour Glorfindel with his questions. He still looked irritated with him, thought Glorfindel, so he did his best to form his face into one of harmless innocence.

Erestor scowled at him, though he did speak.

"Do you remember the time when I needed to travel to Eryn Galen?" he asked. "It was on our way back that my company encountered the merchant who sold the books to me. I thought he was merely from Dale, but upon speaking to him, he mentioned that he was only passing by and that he, in fact, came from a farther region from the South-East."

"Aah, promising start. That does sound like somewhere you would acquire questionable books with history," said Glorfindel.

Erestor shrugged even as he poked at his pie with his fork. "Books have ever been my interest and weakness. I suppose you could say that Elrond and I fancy ourselves as collectors, and the library is just the place where we store our finds. I am as much interested in the story surrounding the books as I am with what is within them. I was intrigued by the old Man's story and how he came upon those books, which he said he bought for a handsome price at a festival. He has had them for years, but he was no practitioner of magick, and so letting them go was perhaps for the best, if he could find for them a fitting buyer.

"Whatever I expected from these books, something like this is certainly not it. Elrond would likely be equal parts ecstatic and horrified of such a find. I shall probably have to bring these to Galadriel for her expertise, for powers such as this is sadly beyond my competencies."

He looked up at Glorfindel then. His head seemed to have cooled somewhat, as he leant his cheek on one hand and fixed the captain with that sharp gaze. "What about you? I did encounter you in the library, after all."

Glorfindel's eyebrow rose at the question, and he shrugged in response. "I read occasionally, yes, when time permits, and I like taking small books with me on patrol. My tastes are perhaps more plain compared to yours, as much of what I read are mostly things others recommended." As an afterthought, he did add, "I explore poetry on my own, I guess."

"Aah. Hence the whole... romantic air." Erestor's lips quirked as he waved vaguely around Glorfindel's general direction.

Glorfindel returned that look of amusement. "You think me romantic?"

"Anyone who pulls someone up for a kiss when said someone's attention is already below their waist has to be some kind of romantic."

This time, Glorfindel laughed. "Or just has a kissing kink."

"Does such a thing even exist?" asked Erestor with a bemused look on his face. Sometimes, Glorfindel tended to say the most ridiculous things.

Glorfindel laughed again. "No, you are right. I guess I truly cannot sleep with someone without at least a bit of something to hold on to." He shrugged, smile lopsided.

"It is nothing to be embarrassed about," said Erestor. "Nowadays, I would even say you are a pleasant rare breed. People lament these experiences and their lack of romance, but so are they only too easy to invite to bed. I do not understand such contradictions."

Glorfindel's eyebrows rose again, but he did smile much more comfortably this time. "I appreciate that," he said, "and I have to thank you for indulging me."

"It did not seem as if I had a choice at the time, did I?"

The captain grinned. "No. No, you did not."

"Then I do not see the point of thanking me for it."

Glorfindel sighed with exasperation, though it was mixed with some amusement still. "Just say 'you're welcome'."

This drew a smirk from Erestor. "You are welcome," he said cooperatively.

They were quiet for some time, during which they finished the last bites of the slices on their plates.

Erestor noticed that Glorfindel, for some reason, grew more subdued as time passed. He played with the crumbs on his plate with a serious look on his face that was not mere boredom or indifference, but of one in deep thought.

"I am sorry, by the way," said Glorfindel, just as Erestor was about to ask what in Arda was the matter with him this time. The captain looked rather serious. "About all this, I mean. It is all my fault - for touching the book, and because I did not listen to you. To call this inconvenient would be an understatement, I know, and it embarrasses me now to think about it." He even winced half-way as he spoke. "Not least of which is the thought that you are forced in this situation where you have to... interact--" a dark eyebrow rose at Glorfindel's choice of words "--with someone in a way you would not otherwise consider. It is no small thing, and I just realised that."

"One can say the same about you," said Erestor. "You are here with me, after all. In terms of penance, I would say you are paying it as well."

"I do not think it is the same. To be honest, this is not as horrible for me as one can make it out to be." He shrugged when Erestor looked a tad surprised by his admission. "I am still thinking about that, though. It is a curious thing."

"Maybe such things just take some time to sink in for you."

"Are you calling me slow?"

Glorfindel noted that Erestor had a rather wicked smirk. "Not in those words, no."

Glorfindel laughed. "And here I was about to compliment you and say it is probably because you are not hard on the eyes." Erestor looked torn between flattered and wanting to punch him, and that he even managed such an expression made Glorfindel smile a little again in turn. His eyes though, still fell to the table after some time. "Just... for what it is worth, I truly am sorry. I will find a way to make it up to you somehow, once we are out of here."

"The way you make it sound, you would think I was some blushing virgin whose innocence you are about to take away." Erestor dismissively waved a hand. "Look, there is little that we can do about that now, save to finish these stories. I can even understand why you might have thought it all unbelievable. I used to think that way as well, but over the years I have encountered a few of the Secondborn who seem to indeed know some of the craft. Nothing as elaborate as this, of course, mostly just amulets that resonate healing magick or a few items that felt heavy with shadow, but did not really achieve anything beyond giving someone a sense of foreboding. All the same, I learned not to underestimate them."

"I will keep that in mind, then," said Glorfindel. He looked around the room, surveying their surroundings before turning back to Erestor. "So what happens in this story?"

"The second story, as you might have already guessed, is about a girl and an apple. A princess and a prince with an apple, to be more precise."

Glorfindel shook his head. "Again, that is not at all how I remember it."

"I believe we already discussed old hags and their place in adult literature."

"The apples are not actually poisoned this time, are they?"

Erestor's eyes strayed to the basket before shifting back to Glorfindel. "They are laced with a strong aphrodisiac."

Glorfindel blinked at him, twice. "Aah. The book strikes again."

Erestor began to explain. "In this version, the prince was the son of the evil queen, and the prince desired the princess for his own. Unwilling to be forced into marriage to someone she has not even seen, not to mention servitude under her evil stepmother, the princess ran away. The prince spent much of his time looking for her. He eventually found her, and he disguised himself as a distant neighbour, a farmer, and offered her the apples when her companions were away."

"May I just say that given the many depraved ways this book can take the story, I am glad that it is not with the princess sleeping with all the Dwarves."

Erestor seemed to pale at this, given his role in this story. "I... I concur."

Glorfindel ran a hand down his face. "Fruits laced with aphrodisiac, however, points to a disturbing level of desperation, no? Not to mention sanity."

"He is the evil queen's son," points out Erestor.

"How far did you say the prince was able to go with the princess?"

The counsellor cleared his throat as he leaned back against his seat. "All the way, unfortunately."

Figures, thought Glorfindel. "Intoxicating an innocent girl... it sounds more like a horror story to me. You actually read this entire book? I do not know if I am seeing you in a whole new light or whether I should just respect you a little bit more."

"It is no great time wasted, as it is a rather thin book," said Erestor. "I believe I was also urged on by the warning it came with; I was intrigued by it. I also prefer to finish the things I have begun, although some reads are better than others."

"And a few others very much less so, I wager."

Erestor sighed, but nodded his head in agreement.

Glorfindel sat up and leaned some across the table, bringing his face a bit closer to Erestor. He looked serious again. "Erestor, I know you have alluded to it already, but I need to ask to be sure. You _have_ done this before, have you not?"

A dark eyebrow rose. "Shag my way out of a cursed book? Not to my knowledge, no."

This pulled Glorfindel's face into a grin, despite his worries. "Not what I was pertaining to, actually. That one I had figured out for myself, no matter how adventurous you might claim your life to have been."

Erestor's lips quirked up in return. "I have told you no lies, Glorfindel. I am no innocent child of Eru, so you need not worry. You are not debasing anything that has not already been touched in the past. Thank the Valar for the young and the carefree, don't you think?"

Glorfindel sighed. Sometimes, Erestor could be too frank, though he supposed he ought to just get used to that. "Well, good," he said instead. "Whenever you are ready then, Counsellor. Or shall I call you 'Princess'?"

Erestor's smile was bland this time. "Just try it and see what happens."

They rose from the table even as Glorfindel was still laughing at the threat. Erestor proceeded to inspect the apples, which Glorfindel had left on the other end of the dining table. Glorfindel, meanwhile, began to search the kitchen. Erestor watched him curiously, until it seemed the warrior found what he needed.

The golden-haired Elf held up a bottle of oil. "I thought we might need this."

Erestor looked away, clearing his throat even as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "Right." He tipped his head to the stairs just over to the back part of the sitting room. "If you are ready, shall we?"

They went upstairs and found a room - beside another with seven wide but shorter beds - that housed a single bed in one corner, just beside a small window where sunlight was streaming through. The room was plain, but clean.

Glorfindel sat down on the bed and turned to Erestor. It was only then that he noticed that the other had an apple in one hand even as he surveyed the room in a half-distracted sort of way. There is a bit of breeze that came in through the open window, taking along with it a few strands of dark hair that now danced around that fair face, though they were largely ignored by their owner. It was only Glorfindel who watched.

"Erestor?" he suddenly found himself calling, making the Elf in question turn. Glorfindel's chest still felt a little heavy, Erestor's earlier words of comfort notwithstanding. "I promise to take care of you. You can trust me in this."

Erestor looked surprised by this sudden declaration. "Thank you," he said, looking curiously at Glorfindel. "I was not worried about that, as I did not think you would do anything to shame me."

This made Glorfindel smile a bit. "I thought I should still say it."

"I appreciate it, Glorfindel," returned Erestor with an elegant nod.

The counsellor then looked down thoughtfully at the fruit he carried, seeming about to just jump out and take a bite. Glorfindel stopped him.

"Wait." Erestor looked up, surprised to find Glorfindel now standing close. He fixed Glorfindel with another curious gaze, but the warrior only touched his wrist, pulled it down to clear the way to Erestor's face. "Here."

And Glorfindel kissed him again. He tipped Erestor's chin up the slight way needed for their lips to meet, and this time Erestor came with him more easily, already familiar with the other's preferences. He moved along with that finger under his chin, even letting his eyes fall closed as Glorfindel's lips brushed against his in a slow kiss.

When they parted, Erestor had a smirk on his face. "A romantic or just has a kissing kink."

Glorfindel's face brightened with an answering grin. "Or could be both."

Erestor laughed and pushed Glorfindel gently away with one hand to his chest. "All right then, if you are quite done. I shall see you in the next story."

Glorfindel was about to ask what he meant by that, but Erestor had already taken a bite of his apple.

Erestor inspected the bitten fruit for a moment before dropping the rest of it outside the open window. Glorfindel saw the moment he swallowed, and it was only then that he began to feel a touch of apprehension for the other.

"How is it?" he asked him. Erestor was silent, however, and so Glorfindel tried another tactic. "Erestor, come sit down."

Erestor allowed himself to be pulled to sit on the bed beside Glorfindel. It did not take long before his breathing began to look a bit shallow; he was breathing through his mouth and his eyes were fixed on one corner of the room. Soon, his fingers were fisting on the material of his robe.

"Erestor, face here." Glorfindel laid his hands slowly on Erestor's shoulders, doing his best not to make any sudden movements. He gently turned Erestor to face him, guiding one leg to fold on top of the bed. Erestor's eyes widened briefly - forest green, noted Glorfindel, with flecks of brown peeping along the pupils - before falling firmly shut, his breaths growing quicker.

"Ssh, easy. You are all right, Erestor," he said.

"Potent," whispered Erestor. He opened watery eyes to look at Glorfindel, who was now holding Erestor's face with both hands. He looked worried, too, but Erestor was fast falling so he could not comfort him. He clung to those hands instead, his own hold clammy as he breathed out, "Kiss me."

Glorfindel seemed to hesitate. No longer able to communicate well, Erestor shut his eyes again, grabbed Glorfindel, and claimed the kiss himself.

Glorfindel could only spare a muffled yelp before Erestor was surging up and climbing on to his lap, kissing him so hard he was nearly crushing Glorfindel with his mouth and hands.

"Right. All right, Erestor. Easy."

"Glorfindel..." Softly spoken, nearly moaned. Whatever was in those apples, it acted fast. Erestor felt hot to the touch and Glorfindel worriedly brushed the dark hair from that fair face. Erestor was sweating, too, so Glorfindel pushed him to lie on the bed and began pulling his robes off of him.

"Easy," he urged him even as Erestor squirmed under him. Once Glorfindel was able to pull off Erestor's robes completely, long legs quickly wrapped around him, trapping him between milky white thighs. Glorfindel was horrified to find himself already hard as Erestor arched up to press their bodies together, pulling a groan from the Elf on top of him as he rubbed their groins together.

"I sincerely hate this book," Glorfindel gritted between his teeth even as he caught himself on his hands as Erestor kept pulling him in, pressing them harder. For the life of him, Glorfindel kept himself from being too aroused by an intoxicated partner, never mind that said partner was the beautifully mysterious Counsellor Erestor. It had to be the novelty of it, he convinced himself, even as Erestor pulled yet another groan from his throat.

It took a great amount of effort to push Erestor off of him long enough for him to shed his own clothes. Clawing hands kept grabbing him even as he removed his tunic, shucked off his leggings and kicked off his boots. Erestor was calling to him wordlessly now, just keening moans and nails burying themselves in Glorfindel's skin. There was a high flush on Erestor's face that went down to his chest and Glorfindel had to look away, making a grab instead for the oil else he began to think unthinkable things for a colleague who was not even fully conscious of the proceedings.

He prepared him quickly but thoroughly, at least as thoroughly as Erestor's impatience would allow. Glorfindel hissed at the heat around his fingers, blinking back the image of what it must be like to sink in to this body. For all his frantic movements, Erestor was fully relaxed here, so that in no time, Glorfindel had three fingers in, with Erestor fully taking them in.

Throughout it all, Erestor kept squirming beneath Glorfindel, arching up and moaning and brushing those tempting thighs against Glorfindel's sides. It was all Glorfindel could do not to grab those legs and spread him wide, to not just bury himself into that heat, preparation be damned.

It was a struggle also to just hold Erestor down. The one time he did behave, however, was when Glorfindel reached out to oil himself. Somewhere in that impaired mind, the signs of imminent coupling must have made it through, so that Erestor spared them a moment to work toward it, staying still as Glorfindel slowly entered him.

 _Oh, by the Valar._ For a moment, all thoughts were washed out of Glorfindel's mind, replaced only by searing white. It was as good and hot as Glorfindel had imagined and he had to rest a moment, leaning his head against Erestor's knee as he sought to catch his breath. Truly, he should not be taking too much pleasure when Erestor was like this, but Erestor... there was something about this Elf that seemed to press all the right buttons for Glorfindel.

As Glorfindel fully buried himself to the hilt, Erestor moaned out and arched up beneath him again, his back coming up fully off the bed with but his head and his legs around Glorfindel to support him. Glorfindel caught him, wrapped his arms around him, and went down to him for a kiss, hot and frantic as he began to thrust in and out.

The late afternoon Sun streamed in through the window, lengthening shadows and seemingly raising the temperature. Sweat beaded down Glorfindel's back and arms as Erestor's grasping hands even started sliding down his biceps, but this did nothing to allay the heat growing between them in that room. He ran his tongue up Erestor's throat, tasting the salt and the vibrations of his moans as Glorfindel set a faster pace.

Erestor's state could not be contagious, Glorfindel knew, but he was beginning to feel a bit delirious himself. Erestor felt too good around him, too hot and too tight but swallowing him whole each and every time, squeezing the length of him in a way that was just deliciously perfect. He groaned out his pleasure against Erestor's neck as he felt that pressure building, growing higher and almost unbearable.

At a critical point, some of his better judgment seeped through. He held Erestor down, intending to pull out as he did not have the other's permission to take any more liberties than the situation required. Erestor, however, in his addled mind, refused to let go; he tightened his legs around Glorfindel, groaning in frustration as the other had stopped thrusting.

Glorfindel hissed out and sought to stop him, but his warnings fell on deaf ears as Erestor moved his hips, continued the thrusts. He bore down on Glorfindel and took him in again. Glorfindel groaned out a curse.

"Mandos, damn you. Don't you dare kill me when you wake."

With the last of his thoughts dissolving with the speed of Erestor's movements, Glorfindel groaned aloud. He held Erestor down, and it took only a couple of more thrusts for him to spill inside the other while gritting out a litany of curses. Erestor moaned out to him and Glorfindel just had enough of his mind left to wrap his hand around Erestor as well, fisting him up and down and making him spill in turn on his heaving abdomen.

Glorfindel heaved a great sigh. "Evil indeed," he said, thinking back on those apples. Thank the Valar none of this was real.

He moved Erestor a little way so he could drop down beside him on the bed, laying his head on the pillow, exhausted. He was about to drift off when Erestor began to squirm again, seemingly restless. He turned around to face Glorfindel, who was surprised to receive another needy kiss, with Erestor insinuating a leg between his own.

"Wait. Erestor, wait." Glorfindel hissed out another curse at finding Erestor hard still. "This world is definitely a mad one. Right, by the Valar wait, I said. Here, turn away from me."

He held Erestor and maneouvred him to his side, with his back to Glorfindel's chest this time. With Glorfindel holding his wrists together, Erestor's fingers immediately curled against the bedding, but he tangled their legs together again, searching for skin.

"Ssh, Erestor." Glorfindel placed a knee between Erestor's thighs, spreading him slightly, and reached around so he could take him in hand, fisting his cock with a still oiled palm. Erestor squirmed against him in what looked like a mix of pain and pleasure.

He was able to make Erestor come again this way, with the counsellor burying his face against the pillow as another orgasm hit him. Glorfindel rested his head against Erestor's nape and realised that they were still here. He shut his eyes, wondering how long this was going to take.

Whatever potion was used on those fruits were indeed potent. He had to work with Erestor a few more times. There was even one mad moment, after Glorfindel found his own peak again, when he briefly considered allowing Erestor to take him. Fair was fair, after all, but looking down at Erestor, that was likely not going to happen without a few injuries. That was probably not the best of ideas, then. He would just have to let Erestor ride this one out with as little damage as they can manage.

He did not know how long they were at it, but when Glorfindel came to, it was already dark. There were stars shining out from the stretch of sky visible through the window.

Beside him, Erestor also began to stir.

"Glorfindel," was said in a rough voice. Erestor cleared his throat; it sounded dry. He took a pause to swallow before he was blinking up at Glorfindel. "Are we still here?"

Glorfindel looked behind Erestor at what details of the room he could see without moving his head. "Seems like it. Should I be worried?"

Erestor frowned. "I do not know. Strange, I would have thought--

And finally, there it was, that old feeling of being pulled inwards. Glorfindel looked back at Erestor, and just only managed to get out, "Looks like it just waited for you," before the world dissolved around them again--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--and for a while, all was still. Then, in the next moment, the ground from under their feet felt unsteady, and there came with it a feeling of falling.


	4. Captain's Cabin, in a Ship in the Middle of the Sea

They found themselves on rather unsteady ground - although perhaps ground was loosely calling it.

They were in a handsomely decorated room inside a ship - the captain's cabin, Erestor's mind supplied as he figured out which story this was. It was evening time, so the only sources of light in the room were from two brass lanterns, one hanging near a round window on the far wall, and the other on the long table where they were.

The furniture around them were mostly made from dark wood. A four-poster bed was pushed to an unlit corner of the room, at the foot of which was a large black chest. An elegantly designed chaise was placed on a carpet to one side, with a large framed map hanging on the wall behind it. Here, on the side where they were, was their long table, upon which was a kind of silver domed thing, a folded telescope, a quill, and what looked like a stack of scrolls and maps and the instruments with which to read them pushed to one side.

But the most glaring detail of all, which had Erestor's shoulders sinking again, was that everything looked inappropriately _enormous_.

Somewhere around them was the sound of crashing waves. These were strong ones, too, that in the next movement of the ship, Erestor found himself losing his balance and his legs giving way, and he landed on his behind in a rather painful fall.

This book was seriously getting on his nerves.

"Oh, you are too cute for words. Where are your wings, little faerie?"

Erestor sighed and looked over his shoulder to see Glorfindel grinning from up - UP! - above him.

Glorfindel, this time, was the first of them that Erestor observed. The captain - and was that not fitting, for he seemed to have taken the role of a captain in this story, too - was seated at the head of the long table. He had on him the loose inner shirt of his station's uniform, while behind him, dark red and hanging over the back of his chair, was the longer coat that supposedly went with the attire. His hair, interestingly, was tied in a loose tail behind him, though a lock of hair escaped the tie and fell in an elegant wave beside his face. It was the first time the book bothered with Glorfindel's hair, but it suited him, too, in a rugged sort of way-- not that it was all that worth noting.

Erestor cleared his throat at that last thought and ended up glaring at the hand - finger, actually, the length of which was already the length of his torso - that Glorfindel offered to him. He did grudgingly take it and allowed himself to be helped up, even using it again to keep his balance as the next round of strong waves came in. In his current height, the waves outside that swayed the ship felt too huge, and it was a while before he was able to accustom himself to them.

"How are you feeling, Erestor?"

This time, there came a slightly worried look to Glorfindel, and for a moment Erestor thought that he meant the motion sickness - because easily, one can almost imagine feeling so, given the swaying of the ship. Something about Glorfindel's face, though, and the way his eyes scanned him from head to toes, told Erestor that the captain's check went beyond their current situation.

This, of course, brought back events from the last story, and an embarrassed flush came to his face. Erestor looked down at himself in lieu of returning Glorfindel's gaze.

"Fine," he said tersely as he took note of his own attire this time around. He sighed again.

[What he was wearing was flimsy at best. He supposed it was still a... robe, of a sort, although perhaps of a design and material more suited to sleeping than walking down halls. It was quite thin, and came in a sort of flowing dark green material with wide sleeves that fell to his wrists. There were slits to the sleeves up to his shoulders though, so they did not really hold up and Erestor's arms were revealed whenever he moved them - rather useless things. A sort of thin vine wrapped around his waist, while the hems of the robe flowed straight down to his bare ankles. A waft of cool air told him his hair was also tied, and upon inspection, it seemed to be twisted in a bun near the base of his head, tied with the same vine-like material as his belt.](http://falmarindecarme.tumblr.com/image/152559627102)*

"I was actually expecting you to just be wearing leaves," chuckled Glorfindel, who seemed to have been watching Erestor as he did his observation.

Erestor sighed. "Small blessing that I am not."

"I think I recognise the characters," said Glorfindel even as he inspected Erestor, "and I recognise the setting and where this seems to be going, but... I don't know about what it is implying. Do not get me wrong, it is not that I am complaining. I mean, look at you--"

Erestor glared at him at this comment, but Glorfindel seemed unfazed. Somehow, he knew how to get a finger beneath Erestor's chin, tipping his face up for closer inspection and Erestor, shocked by his gall, was not quick enough to stop him.

"Where my thoughts are going now would likely just get me in trouble with you," said the captain with a grin, ignoring Erestor's narrow-eyed look. "But just imagine having a lover who can be as small as this. I can put you in my pocket and bring you with me everywhere. The things I can get up to on dull days during patrols..."

"I would like to remind you," said Erestor, valiantly attempting to keep himself from blushing at such bold words. Just what was wrong with Glorfindel? Sure, everybody must have dirty thoughts about someone else every once in a while, but no one ought to be this honest or open about them. "We are only pushed in this strange situation - by your own fault, might I add - so if you would be so kind as to not enjoy this so much... Glorfindel, get off me!"

Glorfindel only chuckled as Erestor swatted at his hand, the fingers of which were already straying boldly behind Erestor's ear for who knew what purpose. Erestor pushed him away and rubbed at the area to rid it of the tingling sensation that remained.

"Too cute," said Glorfindel, shaking his head in amusement. It was his turn now to look around them, and then down at himself. "Should I not have a hook for a hand or something?"

"You want to lose a hand? Get me a knife and I shall be happy to cut one off."

"All right, calm down, spawn of Morgoth. I don't understand why you are always so tense, especially after everything we have already done. Should you not be more relaxed by now?"

Really, the gall of him - Erestor could not understand where he kept on getting it.

"Speaking of which, perhaps you are just hungry?" Glorfindel reached over Erestor's head to peek underneath the metal dome. It was a cover for food, apparently, for under it was a plate of cured meats, breads, and cheese. It all looked good, but...

"It disturbs me to think that I would eat something that big." Erestor skeptically eyed the food on the plate. Glorfindel was quiet behind him, which of course had Erestor turning to him again with suspicion. Glorfindel's lips were twitching. "For the love of the Valar, Glorfindel. If you so much as open your mouth to make a crude joke about what I just said..."

This, of course, promptly had Glorfindel laughing. "To be fair, I am trying not to, but you sometimes make it too easy."

"Figures," said Erestor not without a little disgust. "Get a warrior started on sex and that will be all he thinks about."

"First of all, I did not even say anything; you figured it out yourself in your own dirty mind. Secondly, it must be all the energy. At least you cannot fault us on stamina." Again, that audacious wink. "Although truth be told, you did run me dry in that last story. You were not kidding when you said they were strong herbs. It is interesting though, isn't it, how in each new story it feels like we are as good as new?"

Erestor could not believe the things that escape Glorfindel's mouth at times, so he just ended up pinching the bridge of his nose again. "Spare me, I beg you. I recall little of the last one and neither do I wish to know what I missed."

"Aah, well. It shall just have to be my little secret then, for aforementioned dull days during patrols."

Erestor considered asking, but decided that he really did not wish to know. "I actually prefer that you just forget it," he gritted through his teeth instead.

"That suggestion is noted, Counsellor, but I make no guarantees. Besides, what was it that they say about what has been seen?"

Erestor wanted to hit him.

Another particularly strong wave came in that had Erestor yet again fighting for balance, effectively distracting him. Instead of falling over by accident again, he just grumbled and sat on folded legs on the table.

Glorfindel watched him curiously. "Can you not fly?"

"No," was the quick reply.

"Surely you can. You have not even tried. I thought you only need to think happy thoughts?"

Erestor seethed from where he was. "How I can think happy thoughts with you as company, I would like to know, because as it is, I am just fighting off a headache and figuring out how to keep myself from breaking your neck!"

Glorfindel shook his head bemusedly at his irate companion. It was all jokes on his part, of course. He also could not bring himself to tell Erestor that none of his usual dour manner could be in any way intimidating like this. He really was quite small, so his usual tantrums just looked even more adorable.

The captain chuckled even as Erestor folded his arms and turned his head away from him.

"Come now."

Erestor jumped as a finger - a really, really large finger - brushed against the back of his neck. He turned abruptly, about to reprimand Glorfindel for his lack of sense for personal space, when something snapped at the back of his head, followed swiftly by black hair falling down in loose waves over his shoulders and down his back. He looked up at Glorfindel, who somehow seemed to now have a suspicious glint in his eyes.

Erestor's own eyes narrowed up at him. "What are you doing?"

Glorfindel smiled and shook his head at him again. How fast did Erestor seem to grow on him, he mused. Looking at him now, Glorfindel supposed he had always seen the other as sort of attractive, even back when he first met him. Dark hair, white skin, sharp eyes, that acid tongue - he was every bit the cold counsellor his reputation told, but apparently this was not an issue for Glorfindel and was, in fact, still perfectly within his preferences.

If anything, Erestor seemed even higher up in Glorfindel's preferences than either of them probably realised.

"It seems to me that this situation, like all the others before it, does not sit well with you." Compared to earlier, Glorfindel made it a point to make his tone of voice lower, hoping to calm Erestor's nerves even as he sought to figure out how to work with the counsellor's current robes. "Perhaps it would be best for all involved if we just go about things immediately, else we delay here any longer than necessary?"

Erestor was about to protest at first, but was momentarily distracted by Glorfindel pulling the makeshift belt from around his waist. He flushed at this sudden development, although a part of him - and who would have thought that one's voice of reason would be on this side of things - told him that it was not as if Glorfindel did not have a point. There was no way out but to do what they agreed to set out doing, and he would only tire himself protesting against what was inevitable.

"You do not even know the story yet," he said as a token protest, even though he was already resigned to the situation.

Glorfindel grinned at him. Since it seemed as though Erestor was about to cooperate, he decided to take a bit of liberty. He pulled slightly at the loose neckline of Erestor's robe, exposing a shoulder even as he swept back the lock of hair that covered it to fall behind Erestor. Glorfindel breathed deeply at the stretch of skin revealed.

"You do not need to tell me. I think I know what I am supposed to do," he said with almost a wistful sigh.

Erestor was struck by the change in the atmosphere. All of a sudden, things seemed silent between them so that it was only the crackling of the fire inside the lantern and the sound of waves crashing outside the ship that filled the room. He expected Glorfindel to start pulling at the rest of his clothes, but so far, all the other did was to sweep the hair out from over Erestor's other shoulder, so that his face and shoulders were clear of hair. Erestor sat still, allowing it mostly out of curiosity, wondering what it was that Glorfindel saw.

"You have some voyeuristic tendencies, don't you?" he asked, eyes narrowing, even as he had to suppress a shiver in the next moment when Glorfindel's finger brushed the sensitive skin between shoulder and neck. "I bet you enjoyed the last story. The Valar only know what you did with me, out of it as I was."

"I will have you know that I was a perfect gentleman," said Glorfindel, whose lips curled up again in a smile. He began rubbing at the back of Erestor's ear. "Granted, I did enjoy the view, but I still rather prefer my partner to be present with me throughout the proceedings. This situation, for example, despite the... _uniqueness_ of it all--" he gestured at Erestor's current state "--is still vastly preferable."

By that point, Glorfindel had begun caressing Erestor more boldly with the tip of his fingers. Erestor bit his lip at the light touches at his neck and the backs of his ears, but he could not suppress the gasp and the shudder that went through him when Glorfindel ran blunt fingernails from the back of his head, down to between his shoulder blades and to the small of his back.

Glorfindel quickly caught that reaction. He grinned. "You have a sensitive back?"

Erestor was sensitive, period, but that was not something he was willing to admit out loud. Even as his breaths began to quicken, he just opted for glaring again.

Glorfindel just looked delighted.

"Erestor, Erestor, Erestor," he sighed far too happily for Erestor's comfort. "The things I would enjoy doing to you."

"Glorfindel, I swear, if you so much as--"

"Come now, Counsellor, we are meant to do this anyway, are we not? Just enjoy it."

As he said this, Glorfindel began to look around them. His eyes zoned in on the coat at the back of his chair, examined it and touched it, and after deeming it adequate for his purpose, he pulled it off the chair. He then bunched it up a little in his hands, laid the heap of cloth on the table, and gestured for Erestor to sit upon it.

Well, it was more comfortable than the hard wood of the table, at least. Erestor was just considering whether he ought to appreciate and thank the other for the gesture, but Glorfindel did not seem to be waiting for thanks anyway. He pushed Erestor back until he caught himself on his elbows, then proceeded to coax the counsellor to unfold his legs from beneath him and splay them out in front of him.

Erestor could not help the yelp that escaped him when a finger immediately went under the hem of his robes. His hand flew to cover his mouth and he shut his eyes when that same finger began sliding up his leg, bringing the hems of his robes along with it, touching and revealing bare skin.

"I cannot believe you know what to do," he gritted between his teeth as Glorfindel's finger slid teasingly back down his leg. Then again, he probably should just be thankful. Thinking about it, there was no way for him to describe to Glorfindel how the pirate captain... _played_ with his faerie, without thoroughly embarrassing himself.

"It was not all that difficult to figure out," said Glorfindel. His voice had deepened now, and when his finger reached Erestor's foot, it traced a path back up, but over his clothes. This time, he went further up, and whether by accident or on purpose even brushed once against Erestor's groin, which had fast become interested in the proceedings. Erestor could not help but groan at the touch, but Glorfindel did not seem interested in that just yet. That finger went up joined by another this time; they brushed against Erestor's chest and his nipples, rubbed them lightly over his robes until the counsellor was arching up and moaning. Only then did those fingers move again, up his neck, to his mouth, brushing his lips so they would open more.

"I cannot kiss you, which is a shame, but I can think of other things I can do." His lips quirked at the tip of a tongue tentatively touching his finger. He licked his lips at the now dazed look that was descending upon Erestor's face. "As for figuring things out, what else is one to do? The captain of his own ship, a beautiful faerie trapped with him in his room. When I saw you like this, I immediately knew how I wanted you..." Glorfindel's fingers went down and underneath Erestor's robes again and pressed on each thigh to push them farther apart. "On your back, your hair spread beneath you, and with your bare legs spread apart exactly like this."

Erestor knew he must be blushing so furiously now, but before he could think of anything to comment, Glorfindel had a finger once again between his legs, rubbing him more firmly this time, and keeping at it. Erestor's arms gave way beneath him; he fell on his back only to arch up again at that delicious friction. He did not even bother suppressing his moan of pleasure.

"Fuck, Glorfindel."

Glorfindel, for all his crudeness and seemingly rough ways, seemed to know exactly how to touch him to make things pleasurable. It was an odd observation, for given the great difference in their current size, it would be only too easy to crush Erestor with just the weight of his fingers. Glorfindel's touches, however, were warm and _just right_ , and for the life of him, Erestor could not figure out how he did it. But Erestor's mind was fast failing, too, so he could not spare any of this more than a passing thought.

The heat in his face reached even up to the tips of his ears. It was dreadfully embarrassing but it felt far too good as well at the same time. Erestor bit his lip, clutched at the coat beneath him as the pleasure built. He squirmed beneath that touch and was just about to think that this was going to be a fast chapter... when Glorfindel stopped.

"Quick question: how many stories does this book have anyway?"

The waves crashed against the wall nearby just as Erestor felt the pause in the proceedings like a splash of cold water.

"What?" he asked distractedly. Glorfindel eyed him with a raised eyebrow as if he had not just been about to molest Erestor to completion but a moment earlier. "I don't know. Seven or eight? I can't--"

"Not that we haven't been doing so already..." Glorfindel had moved back to teasing touches, with the tips of his fingers caressing down Erestor's arms, brushing back his hair again. "But I thought it might as well be said: Erestor, how about we ride this out and just do the best we can with it? With seven or eight stories, we have a while yet. I do not wish for this to be horrible for you."

Really, sometimes the way Glorfindel's moods changed was astounding. "You... you think to say all this now? _Right now_?"

"When else should I say it?"

Erestor all but sputtered in disbelief. "How about when I am not like this?" He sat up, just about ready to start arguing with Glorfindel again, but Glorfindel cut him off with a thumb brushing between his thighs. Erestor moaned at the sudden touch - without warning again! - but quickly pressed up against it all the same, clutching at Glorfindel's hand, which felt warm and still all too big against his body.

He did not even care that Glorfindel chuckled in amusement once again above him. All that mattered was that Glorfindel was pushing him back again, but this time, instead of falling to lie against the coat, he was caught by Glorfindel's other hand so that Erestor was leaning slightly back against it. He flushed again as Glorfindel's hand from earlier pressed more firmly against his front, and it was the oddest sort of pleasure, being this surrounded by a lover's touch.

"It should be a crime how well you can still seduce me at this size." Glorfindel had begun to move his hand again, just minute motions that felt heavenly against Erestor's now throbbing hardness. "Come to think of it, perhaps the size even has something to do with it. It is so easy to pleasure you like this. See, I can touch you everywhere."

Erestor gasped as those fingers were back on his chest, rubbing his nipples beneath the thin material of his robes. They slid and brushed smoothly against his skin, and coupled with the pressure against his cock, it was really all too much.

"Glorfindel..." He could not help how the name came out in a moan. Erestor's hips moved along with him, his back arching up to that hand as a sea of curses flowed past his lips, interspersed with moans and groans and more utterances of Glorfindel's name.

"It does not hurt dry though, does it? Here." As though things could not get any worse - or better, Erestor's traitorous mind supplied - Glorfindel bent down to Erestor's legs and lifted the hems of his robes up. His lips brushed the insides of Erestor's thighs before a tongue flickered out to trace the same path, moving up until--

"W-wait!" Erestor's head fell back with a curse as that tongue swept over his cock. Valar, what was-- the night air and Glorfindel's breaths were quick to cool the wide wet patches on Erestor's skin, but so was Glorfindel quick to heat him up again with lips and tongue and those fingers still moving against his skin.

"Hm? Does this not feel good?" Spoken against Erestor's skin, lips and tongue moving against delicate and sensitive places that had Erestor's squirming underneath that mouth.

Of course it felt good. By the Valar, it was good beyond anything Erestor remembered ever experiencing-- but that was not the issue!

"Don't-- Don't you think this is strange?"

Glorfindel pulled back and chuckled again, before he pushed up Erestor's thighs and insinuated his tongue between them, licking at the skin obscenely and without shame. "Darling, I think we have long passed the point where things are strange."

"You are shameless." Erestor's protests were token at best. His head fell back at the sinful way Glorfindel's mouth was upon him. His robes were lifted further until they were under his chin, a finger pulling up his neck to stretch him taut as Glorfindel went about spreading light kisses up his stomach and chest.

"I am devoted." Murmurs against his skin, hot breath and the vibrations of his voice so close, fingers playing still, touching what they can reach. Flickers of a tongue tip teased at his nipples before tracing a path back down to his groin, then up again, and with each moment that passed, it became less and less clear why Erestor would even wish for them to stop. Glorfindel's voice came again, deep and teasing. "I am pretty loyal once you get me in bed, you know. By then, there is little I would deny a lover."

"Do I want to ask the worst things you have done then?"

"At the rate we are going, by the end of this you would have seen the worst I have done. This, for instance, is going pretty high up in the list." That finger steadily rubbing against his clothed cock was back, Erestor's body rocking along with it, making Glorfindel smile. "Which, you know, I think is pretty exciting."

Erestor's head fell back. "It is not," nearly moaned out, so intense did the heat and pleasure of it all feel now. "Fuck, I am getting close."

It was just about the most obscene thing to have ever happened to him, and Erestor flushed at how arousing he found this whole situation. It could be that Glorfindel's all too willing participation was a big factor, too. He did not seem to shy away from anything, never mind that this was not the type of thing one often saw himself in in a lifetime. That he was fully clothed still while Erestor must look all a mess under his hands was another thing - yet another embarrassing but all too arousing detail.

"You..." he breathed out, eyeing Glorfindel. "At least unlace your shirt."

Glorfindel smirked at the request. "What's this? Am I being used as fodder for sexual fantasies now? For shame, Erestor."

Really, fuck this Elf. If he was not pleasing Erestor one way... "Just shut up and do it."

Glorfindel laughed even as he pulled the laces from his shirt. Erestor's quick breaths came deeper as more of that sun-kissed skin was revealed, though he knew it was but a glimpse of the hard expanse of muscles that were only natural to a warrior. Glorfindel, in turn, was watching him just as avidly. "Do you want my hair down?" spoken low, generously offered.

Erestor looked up at him, things suddenly serious between them as both recognised the heated gaze one was giving the other. It was always an arousing thought, igniting lust in a partner, so Erestor did not even bother to hide how his eyes scanned that face, that strong neck and the bare skin of Glorfindel's chest. More of Glorfindel's hair had escaped the ribbon tying them back earlier, but the dishevelled look was good on him anyway. Frankly, just about everything would probably look good on him.

"Leave it. Touch me now."

This time, he knew the end would come soon. He moaned as the pressure between his legs returned, a teasing finger on his mouth, dragged down his neck and chest and then rubbing against his nipples again. Glorfindel was too good at this.

"I bet you like this, being at my mercy," said the captain, his voice deep and airy with his own quickening breaths even as his hand maintained its steady rocking against Erestor's body. "You act all proper when you can, but the truth is that the things I do excite you, too. You never once tried to stop me. Mayhap your tastes are as dirty as mine, Counsellor?"

With that grin and his eyes intent on Erestor, Glorfindel took his hand for a moment to lick at his thumb. He then pushed the wet digit back underneath Erestor's robes and this time, the slick slide of it was all too much.

Erestor yelled out a curse again as he came, great tremors wracking his body as he arched up to that hand, his own hands burying nails at the closest skin of it they could reach. Glorfindel pressed down on him deliciously as he let him ride out the pleasure, a finger or two - it was difficult to keep track - brushing against the sides of his face, his neck, the skin of his shoulder.

Erestor came down in gasping breaths, the firelight flickering on the beams overhead when he opened his eyes. A hissed curse was all the warning he was given before Glorfindel pulled back his hand, only for it to disappear beneath the table. Erestor saw the moment those bright eyes fell closed; Glorfindel's head fell back against his chair and his lips parted in a groan.

The shudders came quickly, and though Glorfindel whispered it out, Erestor could still recognise the sound of his own name.

"That was fast," he said to him, when Glorfindel was done.

Glorfindel's laugh was a tired huff of breath. "Give me a break. I was watching you the entire time."

Erestor shook his head, though he might have smirked, too. He took a deep breath to collect himself, even pulling himself up slowly to sit. He looked up at Glorfindel. "Voyeur. You just defined it."

It would have been nice to have some time to rest. Glorfindel was even most likable in these moments, thought Erestor, as he continued to watch him. He laughed freely but the blush on his face made him less annoying, and he did not bother Erestor so much like this, as he himself was rather out of breath.

The familiar pull came soon enough, however, and Erestor sighed and closed his eyes as the old cabin dissolved around them--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--and when he came to, all was dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I refuse to apologise for this chapter. *goes to sit in a corner anyway*
> 
> * Also! The wonderful FalmarinDeCarme drew Tinkerbell!Erestor! ♥ ♥ ♥ Thank you so much, dear. We all know how much fun Glorfindel had with him. ;) 
> 
> [ [Link to Image ](http://falmarindecarme.tumblr.com/image/152559627102) ]


	5. A City Street Made of Cobblestones

"We are almost done with the last of the houses in the kingdom, Your Highness, and the sun is beginning to set. We still have not found your mystery lover."

Erestor turned his head to the leader of his company. The speaker was the king's right-hand adviser, tasked to assist the prince in his search for his chosen mate, else the king be the one to select his consort for him.

"Sir?" That should be his squire this time, who rode beside him and guided his horse. "Are you all right? It has been a long day. Perhaps we should stop the search for now."

The squire was the least supportive of this idea within their company, but it was a sentiment that Erestor could understand. Certainly, it was not the most dignified activity for a prince, but what were they to do? The prince fell in love with a dance partner he kissed in the recent ball, but whose name he did not even know.

It was admittedly not the best of stories, and the squire was not alone in his opinion, either. The king also had not been agreeable at first, and was only coaxed into the idea by the queen. The truth was that should they fail in this search, it would be no great loss to the kingdom. In fact, it might even be better, for surely the king would then pick a girl with good standing for his son, as this was the option that would bear them more grandchildren.

It was a good thing that Erestor was the third son, and was most favoured by his mother the queen. It was all these things that let him even demand that his father uphold his end of the bargain, despite the rather disappointing turn of events. The agreement was that should the princes find mates in the recent ball they held at the palace, then they may marry their chosen partners; otherwise, the king and queen would arrange for their marriages. What the king failed to say, however, was that the choice was to be limited among the ladies of the kingdom. Since he did not say so, the princes were free to select even among the sons - which, apparently, the youngest prince was inclined to do.

It was just Erestor's luck, picking somebody who ran away.

The search had not been all that great an experience, despite it being what Erestor ultimately wanted. It was generally a trying day; everywhere they went it seemed as though there was a crowd, and there was even that one time when a potted plant almost fell on Erestor's head while he was speaking with the squire. He had also had his fill of kisses the likes of which he never again wanted to know. There were unwelcome kisses, inexperienced kisses, and just downright wrong kisses.

There had been a few, of course, who knew what they were doing and at least had the decency to please their prince. There were also a few who were honest enough to say that they could not be the prince's mystery dance partner for some reason or another, but by the king's decree, they would kiss the prince, and hope he pardoned their invasion of his space.

None of these men, however, was the one Erestor was searching for.

"Kissing all the sons in the kingdom," he heard the squire mutter beside him again. "Surely there are better ways to find somebody."

"You will come to understand it, lad, once you know of love." The king's adviser laughed beside Erestor. "And what a splendid story for our kingdom, too, proving that love indeed comes when it will, whether they be a lad or lass, the daughter of a lord or a baker's son. When it does come, the urgency there, too, is quite unlike any other, and so here we are."

Erestor smiled at the old adviser in thanks, before turning to the squire. "There is no other way to know, besides, is there? I do not know his face, for I cannot see, and I do not even know the sound of his voice."

He clutched the reins tighter in his hands, not for the first time mourning his blindness. He heard the squire say something again, undoubtedly something against the plan still. The lord adviser spoke to reprimand him, but Erestor just sighed, too tired to join their debate.

Once again he was struck by an odd feeling of detachment, one he has felt since he woke up that day. It was a feeling as though he was regarding all these from far away, as if this was an unfamiliar life. The old adviser, his own squire, the soldiers around them... he had known them his whole life, and yet it also felt as though... he did not.

He shook his head. It was a strange thought, of course, and it did not even make any sense. Perhaps the squire was right and he truly was tired. Erestor hoped to find his intended soon, for he knew not how long he could still keep this up.

This search, at least, was something he was sure about. He needed to find the stranger he met at the ball, the man whose hand he held for the entirety of the evening, and whose lips he knew well, having kissed it before the other fled without leaving a name.

"Here we are - the last house."

It was the lord adviser who spoke again. Erestor lifted his head when their company slowed to a stop, and waited. The squire soon came beside him to help him down his horse, and the squire spoke to describe the house and the steps Erestor was going to take to reach the front door. It had been the way of things ever since Erestor could remember.

They were welcomed inside one of the bigger manors in the kingdom, if the way their voices echoed in the foyer was anything to go by. The lady who greeted them said that there were two sons in this house who would try for a place beside the prince.

Erestor sighed. Just two more sons. He fervently hoped that the one he searched for was one of them.

The first son, when he was introduced, was... quite a character. He insisted that he was the prince's mystery lover, and expressed how glad he was that they finally came for him.

"You are as handsome as you were that night, my prince," said the first son, his voice coming from down below. He must have been kneeling in front of Erestor, but just as soon as Erestor thought this, both his hands were taken in a rough hold and he was unceremoniously pulled in for a hard kiss.

No. No, no, a hundred times no. There was a yelp of affront from his staff behind them, and while Erestor appreciated it, it was also moot, given that he was pulled into this. He pulled away from the kiss almost immediately, easily determining that the first son was definitely not the one.

When he said so, however, the first son protested, saying that Erestor could not have known that over so quick a kiss.

"But a kiss as clumsy as that obviously cannot be the right one," the lord adviser sternly said. Somebody pulled the first son's hand from Erestor's wrist, to the prince's relief. "Let us move to the next one."

The second son, at least, was more polite than his brother. He made haste as the lord adviser bid, and he stood in front of Erestor to kiss him, but not without saying first, "Pardon me, Your Highness."

Erestor sighed at the press of those lips. Firm, but close-mouthed, and not even unlike the bland sensation when he pressed his own lips together. This, too, was not the one.

The lord adviser seemed to catch Erestor's reaction, for he said even before they were done, "Is this all the males in the house, then? Are there no others?"

Erestor did not expect any affirmative answer, and his mind was already racing at the idea of this being the last house. But the silence that followed this question was just as unexpected, and upon realising this, their company found renewed hope.

"Well?" prompted the lord adviser.

"There is one other, my lord," said someone, who sounded like the second brother. His tone, however, sounded hesitant.

"But he was ill at the time of the ball!" interjected the first son. "He cannot be the one, can he?" The sound of shuffling, and then, "My good sirs, this is the last house, is it not? That means you have not found him. Perhaps it was all a mistake, and if the prince would just be more open to other options--"

"We have come for one purpose and one purpose only," cut in the lord adviser. "That is to know all the sons in the kingdom, and find the one the prince chose on the night of the ball. But in regards to this third son..." The lord adviser seemed to hesitate. "If he had been ill, then perhaps it is not wise that the prince goes near him..." He sounded torn, however, and Erestor understood. He, too, was hesitant to leave any stones unturned.

"It was mere exhaustion, my lord," said the second son. "He worked heavily the day of the ball, and misjudged his strength and felt unwell in the evening. That was all it was. He is resting still now, but he is well enough for company, if His Highness insists. We just thought it would be a waste of time, bothering with someone who did not even attend."

"I do not think it is necessary, if he did not even go to the ball." It was the squire this time who said this, but Erestor held up a hand.

"Nay; let us be thorough. Anyway, it is the last house, and I do not wish for this to be the cause of later questions or regret."

And so they sent for the third son. Erestor subtly wrung his hands waiting, pacing on a short stretch of carpet and turning his head towards the light in the room, the only thing he could still recognise in his condition.

What were the chances that it would be the last son? Did by some miracle he found a way into the ball, only coming later than the rest? Mayhap he changed his mind at a later hour, and found neighbours who were running late, and came with them? That had to be it, thought Erestor, for otherwise it would mean that he had not found his intended.

They presented the third son soon enough. He greeted Erestor in a voice with a pleasant, lilting quality. He did not sound young, and in fact sounded older than the other two. After a while, it was revealed that he was, in fact, the eldest, after the lord adviser remarked on his appearance.

Well, that hardly mattered, thought Erestor. At least he knew what to expect, for the hands that next held his were bigger, warm but a little rough - indeed, obviously the worker of the brothers. But he seemed to be a kind enough sort, greeting Erestor politely much like the second brother, and warning him before leaning in to brush their lips together in a kiss.

He was definitely the best of the three. Soft lips closed around Erestor's lips, a warm touch to his chin keeping their mouths aligned. The third son brushed their lips once, twice, then pulled back slightly, as though asking if that was sufficient.

Erestor frowned at that too brief a kiss. This was the last one in the kingdom. Does it not mean then that he must be... Erestor had to be sure, and so he groped for the other's face, pulling him in for a better kiss.

Something fell and broke on the floor behind them, followed by a bit of commotion, which shocked both of them enough to pull away. It must have been the first son, surprised or throwing a tantrum for the favour his brother received. Erestor sighed at such transparency, but anyway, he was done, and he got what he needed.

"Well?" asked the lord adviser.

Erestor shook his head. It was a good kiss, but... "He is not the one."

"Indeed, Sir," said the third son in that soft, kind voice of his. It now sounded tinged with apology. "It could not have been me, for I did not go to the ball."

The events that succeeded this seemed to pass for Erestor in a blur. The lord adviser continued to speak with the eldest brother, and somewhere Erestor also heard the voice of the lady earlier, whom he assumed was the mother. Truly though, he could not be bothered with them, so he followed the light source from earlier and stepped out of the sitting room, walking out back into a quiet garden.

He walked until he could no longer hear their voices. Their company could afford to linger, he supposed, this being the last house, and so he let the lord adviser stay, as Erestor himself was at a loss on what to do next. Thoughts were racing through his mind, crying out to him again even louder now and with a sort of urgency that he still could not explain. He had to find him, whoever he was, but where else should he look?

He heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Erestor turned his ear to them, confirming his intruder's identity with those light footfalls against the gravel.

"How can this be the last house?" Erestor asked his squire when he deemed the other close enough. He turned fully to face where he thought the other was. "We must have missed a house, or perhaps there are others in these houses that I did not pass. For why can I not find him, when I have kissed everyone?"

"Not everyone."

Before Erestor realised what was happening, the squire had grabbed him and was stepping into his space. He was apparently taller than Erestor, for the other held his face and tilted it up, pulling him to touch their lips together in a kiss.

There was none of those extremes that he experienced that day - not the shy, tentative kisses so light he barely felt them, nor the hard ones that were too bold or too forceful, faking familiarity that just was not there. This kiss, although it seemed to bring with it a rough edge that hinted on either rage or desperation, at least fitted Erestor's lips as though the one bestowing it knew well enough how to do so, as though it had been done before. Erestor's hand trembled as he touched the other's face, as a tongue slipped past his lips in a way that felt shockingly right and good. The body against his was hard and powerful, but it enveloped him in warmth.

When it ended and the other pulled away, Erestor was only left wanting more.

The squire, however, did not seem to be too interested in giving Erestor another kiss any time soon. He merely clutched his arms tight enough to hurt, and he shook him hard. "Did it work? Did that please this Ungoliant-poisoned book enough to bring you back?"

"Glorfindel--"

Glorfindel, of course, was his squire's name. He knew that, and yet...

Erestor shook his head as the fog slowly lifted, and the name repeated in his mind as though something was being rearranged--

He gasped when it clicked, and then it was his turn to hold his hands out and clutch at the material around the other's chest. "Glorfindel!"

"Yes, damn it!" Erestor was suddenly and forcefully pulled into a tight embrace, Glorfindel's arms wrapping around him as fingers buried underneath his hair. "Damn. What is with this book? I thought it was just the two of us, but then I find us in this place where an entire city is thrown at you. Literally, _an entire city_. You did not recognise me and I could not get you alone at all."

This was familiar, finally, and right - completely right. Erestor held on to Glorfindel tightly, for he was afraid still, and it did not feel as if everything had yet returned to him. His vision was still a sea of white, although slowly it was beginning to sink in what had happened. His mind had been played, his memories momentarily replaced so that Glorfindel was hidden from him, and there was just that one way for Erestor to find him.

Definitely, definitely this book was going away. Once this was all over, it shall go to Lothlórien in a heavily sealed box for Galadriel alone to dispel. With fear and frustration mixing within him, Erestor shut his eyes and buried his face on Glorfindel's shoulder.

This, somehow, seemed to make Glorfindel relent from his ranting. "What is it? Erestor?" Gentler now, and Erestor felt Glorfindel pulling away slightly, probably to check his face. "Tell me, what is the matter?"

Erestor shook his head, his voice muffled at first by Glorfindel's tunic. Valar, even the scent of him was becoming familiar. "This one played with my mind - and my eyesight; I am still blind. But early on I knew something was not right. I could not place it though, and I could not remember why it was so important to find you, but since I knew nothing, I just believed what I had been told. But I knew something was wrong, only it seemed I was alone in thinking this--"

"Ssh, Erestor." Lips pressed against Erestor's temple, bringing with them comfort as those strong arms tightened around him. "You were not alone. I was with you; the entire time, I was beside you. I tried to tell you, but every time I attempted it, something happens - an accident occurs and something falls on you, or we are separated by a crowd. It is like the book kept me only close enough, but would pull me away should I stray beyond this."

Glorfindel sighed, but he did continue sifting his fingers through Erestor's hair.

"I was made to watch it all, all those others with you. I watched them touch you and kiss you however they wished. To what purpose, I do not know, but..." Those arms came around him even tighter now. "It was just too strange, to just stand there and-- and what in Arda were you even doing, and with that last son! I thought you would pick him, but then where would that leave us? Valar, I thought surely this story had gone down a mad slope. I was about to pull you away, never mind what the book intended, though I did that rather clumsily, breaking that vase and all. That did stop you though, so perhaps that was a good thing, in the end." Erestor felt him shake his head, and his next sigh came out in a frustrated groan. "Forgive me, for now I am not in the best of moods. All I want is to be out of here and to never see these streets again."

Erestor sighed in turn, suddenly exhausted, so much so that he did not even counter anything that Glorfindel said. He could not say he even understood all of the things he said, for mostly, he just let that familiar voice lull him to calmness, to call him back down from a trying day.

They stood a while that way, in that tight embrace with Glorfindel's hand in Erestor's hair, both just waiting for frantic heartbeats to slow and for Erestor's nerves to lose their chill.

Eventually, it was Glorfindel who spoke again. "Let us just go. I suppose it is all right now, as I can now be alone with you. What did they say the prince did with his chosen? Did they..."

Right, the story. So lost did Erestor feel in this world that he had almost forgotten what they were doing and the situation at hand.

"Kissing," he began to say, "this story is really just about kissing. That is, of course, rather heavy kissing, but of course this was a detail no one else knew save for the prince and his squire. They also touched one another at the ball, but remained clothed. That is why the prince only knew him through kisses."

"Part of me wants to know why the stupid squire did not just say anything, but fuck it, I just hate this story."

Erestor's chuckle was muffled by the cloth on Glorfindel's shoulder and a few locks of his hair. "I suppose one can say that this is the closest thing to a love story this book can manage, which is interesting, as I remember it was also the only story where both parties were male. In any case, the squire truly was in love with the prince, but they were friends since they were children, the squire being the son of one of the more senior kitchen staff. He thought that he would not be doing the king and queen a favour, taking their son after everything that they have already done for his family. He would have kept his silence, content with that one night with the prince, except he saw how much the prince searched for him. He grew jealous, too, of all those people vying for the prince's attention - and of course, watching him kiss all of them."

"Huh." Jealousy, was it? Glorfindel stayed silent, wondering if that was what it was, the reason for his foul mood. Certainly, the events of the day had been a shock given the silence and solitude of the three stories before it, not to mention that the fact that he could not even reach Erestor had been his least favourite detail.

Erestor, meanwhile, was feeling warmer now. Speaking this way and telling the story was bringing him back to how things were between them, reminding him of where they were. He then remembered something, and he even found a way to be amused. "It is an interesting story, given the nature of the book. It was not without its own level of detail, mind you, albeit the subject being more tame than the others. But perhaps you are right and a kissing kink does exist, and this tale was meant for such people."

Glorfindel huffed at this. "Well, good, because this story does need to make it up to me. Kissing is a good start."

Before Erestor could respond, Glorfindel had pulled them to the side of the house, where they would be hidden in the shadow of the building and by the leaves of an old willow. He then wasted no time and pushed Erestor against one corner of the stone wall, grinning at the other's gasp of surprise. He held Erestor's face and went straight to kissing him, deeply and in a way that was now becoming only too familiar. Erestor was soon sighing, his arms coming up to Glorfindel's shoulder and going under his thick mane of hair.

Erestor thought that they were becoming easy, too, these kisses, and even this embrace. Glorfindel felt warm whenever they were close like this, and he was struck by how comforting it was, for this to be Glorfindel and not a stranger who claimed to be the one he was searching for. It was good, kissing him, and it was even natural to keep his eyes closed and for him to forget his unsettling blindness.

Glorfindel caught him, though, and hummed a questioning sound against Erestor's lips. He broke the kiss and touched their foreheads together, observing Erestor even as his thumbs brushed against the counsellor's cheeks. "What is it? What bothers you now?"

Erestor blinked in surprise; he had not meant for the other to notice. "Nothing. It is just... my eyes - I wish I could see you."

Glorfindel looked at him, observing not for the first time the unsettling way that blank gaze looked through him, unseeing. But he chose to smile, and he kissed Erestor again in the hopes of comforting him, making sure the other felt his grin. "I bet you do. You are a bit of a secret pervert yourself, after all."

Erestor scoffed, offended. "What-- I am not."

Glorfindel kissed him again and spoke against his lips. "Sure, you are. Did not the sight of my bare chest send you over in the last story?" Glorfindel's chuckle was rough and low and tickled Erestor's lips. "Those were good times."

Erestor sighed in exasperation, but opted to just squeezing the other around the waist in place of reprimanding him.

Glorfindel yelped and laughed at the claws on his ribs, and was breathing out the last of them still even as he pried Erestor's fingers from his sides. Despite his earlier annoyance, the sound and the discovery that Glorfindel was apparently ticklish pulled an answering grin on Erestor's face, and so with only a moment's resistance and a bit of wiggling fingers that had Glorfindel squawking in a rather undignified way, he eventually relented and let the other go.

As Glorfindel's laughter died down, there followed the sound of shifting cloth. There was a lightness in the captain's voice still when he said, "Close your eyes, Erestor."

Erestor frowned at the command, wondering what difference it would make, but he did close his eyes as he was bid. Glorfindel then took the folded scarf, which he had pulled from around his neck, and tied it around Erestor's head, covering his eyes. Once done, he tipped the other's chin up and pressed a light kiss on his lips.

"There. Now it is just another kinky thing that we are doing. It is a good look on you, too." He smiled at the surprised laugh Erestor made. The counsellor was always so easily scandalised, but then, Glorfindel knew better; Erestor hardly ever refused him, despite this sort of reactions.

He kissed Erestor again, but bent lower this time as his hands slid down from the counsellor's waist and down to the back of his thighs. Their kiss broke at a cry from Erestor and Glorfindel's amused chuckle as the captain lifted the other without warning from the ground, smoothly pulling those legs to wrap around his waist. He caught Erestor's moan as he pressed their bodies together and renewed their kisses, more heated this time around as hips moved together in that old instinctive dance.

Erestor's arms quickly wrapped around Glorfindel's neck again, his lips parting in response to the other's demanding tongue. Glorfindel pushed his tongue past Erestor's lips and coaxed them to open further as he licked inside, slow and languid, in and out in time with the thrusting of their hips. Erestor moaned at the combined sensation, fingers curling in Glorfindel's hair and legs tightening around his waist. He deepened their kiss, pulling an answering moan from Glorfindel as Erestor continued to move against him, their hardness rubbing against the other's through their breeches.

The heat quickly rose until Erestor was gasping and pulling out of the kiss. He bit his lip as his head fell back against the wall behind him, the pleasure making him feel flushed, overwhelming his senses. Glorfindel chuckled at the sight of him, a smug sort of sound against Erestor's neck, though truthfully, he himself was not immune. Blindfolded was a good look on Erestor, apparently, and the flush on his cheeks and that mouth falling open in pleasure were doing their own tricks on Glorfindel's mind. His fingers went through the hair behind Erestor's head, and he delighted at the pleasured cry that escaped the counsellor when he clutched that mass of hair tightly in his hand in time with a slow, firm roll of his hips. He pulled Erestor's head back to him again, licking inside that open mouth, biting and pulling at those luscious lips.

They continued kissing and riding out the pleasure this way, with Glorfindel taking what he can from these kisses that he declared he so loved doing. Erestor could believe it, too, not that he ever doubted it, but this time he knew what it was like when Glorfindel was given free reign. He slid their mouths together one kiss after another, seemingly never-ending, and somehow it felt so good to be kissed this way and to be able to rub against a warm, hard body in time with the pleasure. Erestor could easily imagine doing this for hours, for days, getting addicted to it and never wanting to stop. Glorfindel could kiss him how ever long he wanted and Erestor would just let him.

Glorfindel's voice, when he spoke, had a hint of a growl. "Valar, I want to take you."

This quickly sent a frisson of heat straight down to Erestor's cock, and he laughed even as he cursed under his breath, unbelieving of how good it all felt. His hands groped for the ties on their breeches, and once he found them, he began to pull.

Glorfindel groaned at the touch of the early evening air and Erestor's skin against his bare cock. He buried his next moan in a deep kiss to Erestor's lips as the other pressed them together, and began to rub his hands up and down around them.

"I thought--" Glorfindel's head dropped on the wall beside Erestor's. It was getting hard to speak, so fast was his mind failing. "I thought they did it clothed? Is this not cheating?"

"This is a minor thing; we should be good."

Glorfindel did not believe him. "Are you sure?"

Erestor clicked his tongue, and sought to shut Glorfindel up by tempting him into another kiss. "If it does not work, then we will just do it again."

This only managed to make Glorfindel laugh. "I am starting to think that you are just making this up as we go," he managed to gasp out. He looked down between them and watched breathlessly as those long-fingered hands slid up and down the hard columns of their cocks. Fuck, Erestor's hands felt too good. "Be honest: is this not just an elaborate scheme to get me into bed? Because I tell you now..." Erestor twisted his hand in a way that made Glorfindel groan, cutting him off effectively for a moment. Stubbornly though, he pushed on, laughing as he did. "I tell you, you could have just batted your eyes at me back home and I would have given it a go."

"You truly are something else if you think I would fake blindness just to get into your breeches." Erestor stopped a moment as Glorfindel claimed another kiss. "But thank you," he continued to say in between their gasping kisses, "for the compliment, and for finally admitting that you are easy."

"I am just saying that you are my type, so you needed not put in so much effort-- _oh,_ yes, like that." Finally losing to that relentless hand, Glorfindel just opted to supporting Erestor more firmly around his waist. He lifted him higher, adjusting those legs around him even as he gasped against Erestor's parted lips. "Fuck, always so good, and your mouth - I love kissing you."

Erestor could not help but agree, though he did not get the chance to say so, so fully was his mouth claimed in the next instant. But truly, all the other kisses of the day could hardly compare to this. Glorfindel seemed to be getting close, too, which was good, as Erestor was nearly there himself. Who would have thought that just kisses and clothed bodies pressed together could get him this way? The very idea was ridiculous given their years, but there it was.

Erestor hissed out a curse as he felt that familiar stirring at the base of his cock. He groaned even as he squeezed and pumped them faster, but Glorfindel seemed to have other ideas. Pressing Erestor back to secure him against the wall, he suddenly took Erestor's hands and held them above the counsellor's head, crossed at the wrist with Glorfindel's hand tight around them. Erestor was about to complain, but his protest dissolved into a moan as Glorfindel pressed them together again, held them steady with one arm around Erestor as he spoke low against his lips, "Let's do this right, shall we?"

Erestor's fingers curled against Glorfindel's as his lips were taken in a searing kiss. Glorfindel began to thrust faster, keeping their bodies flush and maintaining a steady rocking that had Erestor moaning into the other's mouth. He caught Glorfindel's lip between his teeth, pulled at it as the pleasure built, and in no time he was there, throwing his head back and crying out as he fell off the brink.

The sight and sound of Erestor writhing in his arms had Glorfindel following soon after. He buried his face against Erestor's neck, shutting his eyes as an orgasm long and hard washed over him, making his fingers curl from his hands down to his very toes. He continued to move against Erestor, groaning and riding the pleasure out and undoubtedly making a mess between them that would soon have Erestor griping. For now, however, Glorfindel could not summon up the strength to give a damn.

When he came to, it was to the sensation of Erestor's fingers in his hair - they must have escaped his hold sometime in the aftermath.

"So has your mood improved?" asked the counsellor, which pulled a huff of laughter from Glorfindel. He turned his head the slight way needed to kiss skin, the closest being just under Erestor's ear.

"Of course it has."

"Deny it all you want; I still think you are far too easy."

Glorfindel grinned tiredly against his neck. "Not really. Maybe with you."

Erestor was just about to open his mouth to remark on that, but Glorfindel just took that opportunity to kiss him again. Things were slower this time, but Glorfindel still kept them there, with Erestor against the wall. He even pulled those legs more securely around himself, unwilling yet to let him go.

They kept kissing even as the world around them began to change, blasting them with that same wind that came to them every time...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and as the wind began to slow, it brought with it the scent of roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is getting written faster than anything else I have ever written. For shame.


	6. A Stone Turret Overlooking a Field of Thorns

A fresh blast of wind hit Glorfindel's face even as he felt his feet alight on steady ground. There it came again, the scent of roses and freshly cut grass, or at least reminiscent of cut leaves and green bark.

His eyes opened to the light of a red afternoon. He was facing the opening of a stone-framed window where, when he looked out, as far as his eyes could see stretched a field of twisted vines and dark green branches against that red sky. His Elven sight focused on a few of those things near where this tower - for a tower was indeed where he was - stood, and while he was many storeys up, he could still recognise the thorns sticking out needle-like from those branches. At the foot of the stone tower, too, was the fallen body of a dragon, its great wings spread on a good part of the ground, and sure enough, when Glorfindel checked, there in his hand was a sword with a golden hilt.

The story clicked in his mind soon after and he quickly turned to the room behind him. He expected it, but the sight nevertheless filled him with dismay; there on the bed was Erestor, asleep.

Glorfindel wanted to bang his head against a wall.

"Please, not again," he lamented under his breath, though he knew his complaints fell on deaf ears.

Just what did this book think of him, he wondered, if it kept putting Erestor in some hapless state or another while _he_ was left to do unspeakable things to Erestor's person? Such things were not even _legal_ in any Elven realm he knew.

Glorfindel sighed and threw the sword on the floor before then looking back at the prone figure on the bed. "For the record, I do not have a thing for sex with unconscious partners," he told Erestor's sleeping form. The other did have a tendency to make unsavoury judgments about Glorfindel, after all, so that needed to be said, never mind that Erestor cannot hear him in that state.

The bed was pushed to one corner of the room, cosy enough to fit two although Erestor was lying in the middle of it. Over the bed was a round sort of canopy made of sheer folded fabric and curtains tied back to the bedposts on each side. Resting against the headboard was an assortment of pillows, some of which were under Erestor's head, and Erestor himself was lying over rumpled bed covers. Everywhere around him was a scattering of red rose petals.

Well, Glorfindel supposed that Erestor at least painted a pretty picture, after which his lips quirked at the thought. So maybe such things came far too quickly to his mind these days, making Erestor's unsavoury opinions not all that far off the mark. But what did not fail to amuse Glorfindel was that while he was no stranger to people freely forming strange opinions about him, Erestor was at least the first person to say such opinions to his face - quite happily, even, it sometimes seemed.

Glorfindel walked towards the bed and sat himself on the silk-covered mattress. He looked at Erestor again for a moment, noting that the other Elf even had his eyes closed in deep sleep. How harmless did Erestor look this way, and Glorfindel could not even help his smile as he picked up a stray petal from that pale cheek. Really, rose petals - surely Erestor would have just found them all to be horrifically tacky. Good thing he was asleep, for Glorfindel would at least be spared from the other's uninhibited complaints. Besides, this way he could also hope that Erestor was at least getting some duly deserved rest after everything that they had been through.

How many days had it been? It _had_ been days, had it not? It felt that way, although sometimes it was not so easy to tell, with each story running its own course and making it difficult to keep track of time. In any case, how ever many days it had been, Glorfindel still could not wrap his mind around how fast things had escalated between them.

Despite all the things Erestor might say about him, Glorfindel would argue that he really was but a simple creature. He liked intimacy as any other living, breathing being in Arda, but all he needed for things to be enjoyable with a lover was for said lover to be a good person, perhaps one with a pretty or pleasant enough face, and for there to be mutual affection and good rapport between them. His tastes were rather plain all things considered. Once or twice in his life, he even pictured himself settling down in a simple life with a humble spouse, one who would be content with the little things and would greet him after a long day with a nice kiss and a warm embrace.

Erestor, though... Glorfindel sighed as he rested his chin on the knuckles of one hand, taking the opportunity to observe the other Elf in peace. Now here was one he could hardly describe as simple. Physically, it was difficult to deny the counsellor's beauty, albeit it was one a bit more subtle than other Elves Glorfindel knew. Nevertheless, there was something about him that did stoke desire, irresistible once one had him in one's field of view. In fact, that was even how Glorfindel first noticed Erestor: at a meeting back in Lindon, with more than a dozen others in the room, he nonetheless found himself stealing glances of the Elf who sat to the right of Elrond Eärendilion.

Of course, Glorfindel also soon discovered Erestor's lack of patience with inane items raised in council. If he was not suppressing a look of disdain on his face, Erestor was listing down in that unimpressed tone of voice the weak points of an argument carelessly thrown by someone over at one end of the table. It was apparent that the chief counsellor commanded the council, while Elrond merely looked on and observed; that much had been clear to Glorfindel early on. Imladris' meetings, he was also quick to find, concluded faster than meetings in Lindon, a fact for which Glorfindel was only too grateful.

He could not help but grin at these memories. No doubt, Erestor as a partner would also be a handful. This was not to say, however, that Erestor did not show some surprising good points every once in a while. He was kind to strangers visiting Imladris, especially to the lost and weary ones and, strangely enough, to the elderly among the Edain. Children seemed to listen to him, too, which was how Glorfindel later discovered that Erestor was one of the instructors of lore and numbers in the valley, one of the things he did on the side besides being Elrond's chief counsellor. Glorfindel did not really see him all that often, but when he did, more often than not it was whenever he was visiting the library, where he would catch a glimpse of the chief counsellor talking to one of the Elves on the high table or perusing the back shelves. It was something to note, for Glorfindel was fond of reading, and a good resource was always a boon.

But apart from all these, there was also this Erestor who kept Glorfindel company in this... strange book they were in. Glorfindel still could not quite believe how easily Erestor forgave him for getting them both in this situation, trapped inside a book that Erestor explicitly warned Glorfindel not to touch. Whatever Erestor's reason might have been for bestowing it so generously, that forgiveness had been a relief. Glorfindel could perfectly understand anger in this situation, while at the same time knowing fully well how difficult things could have been had Erestor remained hostile. It was therefore a fortunate thing indeed that no matter how annoyed Erestor would get, he never seemed truly angry, nor was he ever spiteful. That was a rather surprising thing to discover. For all his sharp edges, Erestor could also apparently be unexpectedly kind.

And, of course, there was one last but glaring thing. Despite Erestor's reputation as the cold and strict chief counsellor, he apparently warmed beautifully, undeniably, under a lover's hand. Now that Glorfindel had been with Erestor, he knew what it could be like when the other was willing - and what a revelation that had been.

When Glorfindel next took note of himself, he realised that he had been playing with a lock of that long black hair, even had it wrapped around his fingers and touched to his lips. The dark strands of silk also had with them the scent of roses. Glorfindel closed his eyes, breathing it in, thinking how well this sort of thing somehow suited Erestor, too.

He sighed, opened his eyes. Glorfindel was no fool, and he knew this was the book already getting to him, bringing his thoughts to strange places. This was not even the first time he caught himself like this. Several times did his thoughts make twisted turns, usually when Erestor was not there to see - that late afternooon at the old cottage by the river when Erestor pulled him along in that state of delirium, and of course in the old city streets, where Glorfindel had to tail after him, but had not once been able to stop Erestor from touching another. That, out of everything else, brought up things for which Glorfindel was not certain he was ready to consider. The frustration, the rage, and the inappropriate sense of propriety - yes, he would even call it jealousy - had all been there at the time, clawing at him until he felt raw and all but ready to shake Erestor from the mist that played them both.

What manner of sorcery could lead people to such madness, Glorfindel did not know. He supposed, however, that he ought to keep himself in check, and to pull back from time to time. It would not do to see Erestor in some odd and unwanted light, for surely the chief counsellor would not be best pleased if he knew.

"Suppose we ought to get this over with, as you are likely to say," sighed Glorfindel. His fingers rubbed unconsciously against the lock of hair between them, but Erestor remained asleep, breathing deeply.

So, the sleeping princess story. Erestor was not awake to tell him how this one went, but Glorfindel had figured a few things out on his own in this misadventure of theirs, so he should be fine. He thought back on the original story, where a prince finally prevailed against the field of thorns and the dragon guard. The prince then found the princess, and after bestowing upon her a kiss, woke her from her centuries of sleep, after which they fell in love.

So... perhaps a kiss, then. Glorfindel tried not to think too much that this book was obviously twisted, and that there was little chance that a kiss would save them this time after everything that it had made them do. Then again, there was the book, and then there was Erestor, who would surely have things to say about Glorfindel jumping to conclusions without exhausting the options that would cause them the least amount of pain. Glorfindel was at least wise enough to recognise which battle was easier won.

Planting both hands on either side of Erestor's head, Glorfindel leaned down and hovered above the other. Erestor's eyes remained closed as his breaths came slowly in even puffs - safe and breathing still, Glorfindel's mind supplied, as though he needed that comfort and assurance that Erestor was indeed all right. Erestor's breaths touched Glorfindel's lips, innocently enticing. Glorfindel bent the rest of the way down to brush their lips together, just lightly.

His sigh was immediate. Even like this, kissing Erestor still felt wonderful. He could not help but part his lips a little and close them around that soft bottom lip, the taste of more already at the tip of his tongue, easily recalled just by being this close. Glorfindel reined himself in, however, and kept his mouth closed.

The kiss soon broke with the soft sound of parting lips. Glorfindel pulled back and waited, but still Erestor did not wake.

"There, you see?" he whispered to Erestor. He gently brushed a stray hair from Erestor's cheek. "It was vain hope even in the beginning. 'Suppose I am allowed to do more now?"

At the thought - and really, there could not be any other way, could it? - Glorfindel looked up and, sure enough, there on the table just beside the bed, half-hidden by a bed of fabric and more roses, stood a glass vial. He supposed the book had not always been subtle, and it did have that ability to make things convenient if it was a means to its own end. Glorfindel rose to examine the vial, which, as expected, contained oil.

He returned to the bed, vial in hand, which he then placed on the mattress beside Erestor. Erestor's hands were folded on top of his chest, a picture of calm repose. Glorfindel took those hands in his - soft skin, long, slender fingers innocently curling around those that held them - and placed them to lie palms up beside the counsellor's shoulders and out of the way. Erestor was wearing a delicate sort of sleeping gown that looked burgundy in the afternoon light. It had ties just at the front, which Glorfindel then began to pull.

This was not the first time he would see Erestor naked, of course, nor was it even the first time that Glorfindel himself disrobed the other. But unlike the frantic fumbling in that other story, there was no urgency to serve as his distraction this time around, giving him now the chance to be embarrassed. It was not just that Erestor was asleep, and removing his clothes in such a defenseless state was never something Glorfindel ever aspired to doing. It was also, simply, that Glorfindel still found pleasure in this, hopelessly and helplessly despite his best efforts to remain impartial. Erestor was exquisite even in just his robes of office given the right light, so here now, with him being presented so decadently this way - in a bed of _roses_ , for the Valar's sake - was wreaking havoc in Glorfindel's mind.

The material of Erestor's robes fell easily the moment the ties were pulled. Glorfindel swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling the heat rise with every stretch of smooth, fair skin that was slowly revealed. Erestor's skin contrasted beautifully against the deep burgundy of his robes and the red of the roses. Glorfindel's eyes raked the sight in, from the impossible perfection of those sharp collar bones, to the flat abdomen, and back up to that slowly breathing chest. Pale pink nipples hardened in the cooling air, and Glorfindel had to shake himself off the sight and continue with the rest of what he was doing.

It was exquisite torture, pulling the material off of Erestor's body. Glorfindel dragged it off the other's arms, long and firm with lean muscle, and even further down that pale torso, breathing deeply as he passed the cock that laid limply between Erestor's legs. The smooth slide of skin against his knuckles as he pulled the robes down Erestor's legs felt as though they would burn through his very bones, and even the sight of Erestor's bare feet, the elegant arch of them and those sharp ankle bones, were giving his stomach butterflies. It was pathetic how aroused he had become, his hardness pushing almost painfully beneath his breeches after only having Erestor naked in bed. What a poor state of affairs.

"Morgoth plotting in the Void," Glorfindel cursed under his breath. He pulled his own tunic over his head, dropping it mindlessly somewhere on the floor beside the bed while he hesitated over his breeches. In the end, he decided to just loosen the ties for now to relieve the tightness there, but not wanting to seem over-eager. Not that anyone was watching, but... "I do not really know what I am doing," he told Erestor for lack of anyone else to complain to. His voice sounded gruff in his own ears. "Although I suppose that should be a good thing. 'Rather troubling if this does not wake you up, for one."

Straddling Erestor now and almost level with him, Glorfindel tentatively touched those lips before slowly dragging his fingers down that jaw and neck. His hand twitched in surprise when Erestor's breath hitched at the straying touch, the counsellor's face even scrunching in a brief frown, but even when Glorfindel waited, Erestor just soon fell back to sleep.

"What? Is that it?" was Glorfindel's incredulous follow-up.

No answer. Glorfindel wanted to throttle him.

For a moment he just threw his head back and cast his eyes heavenward. He took a deep breath before diving back in, shifting lower and bending down to Erestor's chest. One hand slid down the centre of it, smooth skin sliding against his damp fingertips, warm to the touch. Golden hair fell in scattered waves against Erestor's pale skin as Glorfindel leaned down to brush his lips just below those prominent collar bones. He ignored the way his lips tingled, how his tongue felt like it burned; he trailed kisses down that chest, every which way until finally, unable to come up with reasons to deny himself any further, he moved to one of those tempting nipples, and closed his lips around one.

Again, a reaction - a sharp gasp above him. Glorfindel shifted so he could look up at Erestor's face, observing the other's reactions even as he kept his lips right where they were. Experimentally, he opened his mouth to run the flat of his tongue over that nub, and was immediately rewarded with those red lips parting with a moan. Erestor's body even arched slightly up against Glorfindel's, pulling a faint groan from Glorfindel as one of Erestor's thighs brushed against the bulge between his legs - and yet those eyes remained closed.

It looked as though the book was keeping Erestor asleep, but let him feel at least some of the sensations Glorfindel was trying to evoke. Fully aroused now and with his tongue still against that tempting white skin, Glorfindel wondered how any of this was reaching Erestor. Did he dream, perhaps, of the things Glorfindel was doing to him? Did he even recognise who was touching him this way, who pulled those moans from his lips?

Glorfindel slithered up to taste that long neck, licking a line up to behind Erestor's ear. Erestor's faint moans sounded sweet released so close to Glorfindel's ear. He could not help but bite lightly at that neck, the scent of Erestor heavy and alluring - deep and somehow reminiscent of the woods in late autumn, though also still tinged with a hint of roses. Even as he felt the blood rushing down to the swelling between his legs, he thought about how unlikely it would be for him to smell roses again and not think about pushing Erestor against the next horizontal (or even vertical) space. That ought to make things fun back in Imladris.

Kisses were trailed down that body again. As he passed them, Glorfindel could not help but lick and rub his thumbs against those nipples again, lingering there for a moment to watch Erestor's reactions. Erestor's movements were getting larger as he arched up to Glorfindel's hand, and further down, Glorfindel discovered that his actions at least were not without their effect.

Erestor's arousal laid hard and flushed against his abdomen. Not even thinking twice, Glorfindel wrapped his large hands around that length, with Erestor surging beautifully up in reaction. Glorfindel pumped him up and down, watching with heavy breaths as he coaxed moans out of those parted lips. By that point he also had to pull down his breeches a little below his hips, releasing his own engorged cock and just giving himself a bit of relief, rubbing himself in time with his other hand on Erestor.

"Valar, Erestor..." Exhaled out, head thrown back as his voice came out in a pained groan. "Wake up or who knows what I would do to you in your sleep."

Then again, that seemed to be what needed to be done, and Glorfindel was fast losing his will to resist. He wanted more. He bent down and licked that hardness up from base to tip, revelling at the moans that move evoked as his hands began to fumble for the vial of oil. Moments more and he was swallowing Erestor down and pushing a finger inside him, their moans mixing in the warming air. Two fingers and his tongue was sliding up past the head, up until he reached the dip of a bellybutton and further along a tensed torso; three fingers, and his tongue was tasting that neck before dipping inside that hot mouth again.

The kiss was frenzied even just from Glorfindel's end, for even with spell-induced sleep Erestor's mouth was a beacon still, igniting lust. Glorfindel groaned and kissed him deeply, and lingered only for a moment more before he was pulling back and preparing himself. Erestor's fingers curled lightly against Glorfindel's arms and hair, moaning as though impatient, but Glorfindel was working, pouring more oil on his hand to coat around his cock.

"Glor...findel."

Glorfindel's head flew up at the stuttered call, but then his eyes narrowed as those eyes remained closed. The confirmation that Erestor knew who he was with heightened the flush on Glorfindel's cheeks; he could have rolled his eyes, if he was not so distracted.

"Fucking flirt," Glorfindel muttered under his breath, though the thought did pull somewhat at the corner of his lips. He chuckled and just shook his head as he pulled Erestor's legs around his waist; he moved them into position, and then slowly pushed in.

The moan that escaped Glorfindel came from somewhere deep and tortured as Erestor enveloped him in that same seductive heat. By Mandos, it was tight, just loosened enough so Erestor was taking Glorfindel in after a few shallow thrusts. Glorfindel grabbed at a hand and held it tight as he began to move, in and out, long and drawn-out. His other hand slid around the small of Erestor's back and lifted him, arm muscles tensing at the strain but he did not mind, more concerned as he was with guiding those hips for deeper thrusts.

Glorfindel threw his head back as Erestor completely took him in. By the Valar, it was heavenly, and Glorfindel could not help but pull Erestor up to him for a kiss. The sensations of doing both, of his tongue dipping down that mouth as he pumped inside that hot body over and over, had the blood rushing in his veins, but so was it also an effort not to come like this, at least not before Erestor had awakened or looked like he was nearing, too.

They moved still, and kisses were interspersed with gasps and groans they were unable to restrain. Sometime in those kisses, Erestor's hands crawled up so they were locked together around Glorfindel's neck. Glorfindel noticed it gradually, but eventually he did feel those lips finally responding, that tongue licking back and even pushing into his mouth.

When it finally registered, Glorfindel pulled back to check.

"Aah, thank the Valar," he breathed out upon seeing those eyes open. "Welcome back, though I hope you pardon the rude awakening."

Erestor gasped as that statement was punctuated with a hard thrust. "Oh!" He arched up, nails sinking at the skin on Glorfindel's shoulders. "I can't... I can't say I ever had a problem waking up like this." This made Glorfindel grin and push deeper at the next thrust, making Erestor hiss as his head fell back against the pillows. "Didn't take you long to figure this story out, I wager."

"Hm?" Steady thrusts now, now that it was feeling good. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to achieve something?" Glorfindel thought to tease, grinning as bent down to nip at an ear. "I just saw you lying there and thought to help myself."

Erestor laughed, though he sounded a bit breathless. "Scoundrel," he said, but the insult fell flat with the last syllable getting caught in a moan.

Glorfindel huffed out a laugh of his own as he buried his face on Erestor's neck. He really preferred him awake, the tension Glorfindel had not even noticed earlier easing now from his shoulders. He kissed that sweet-smelling neck, nipped a nearby earlobe; he could not get enough of the taste of that skin. He took one of Erestor's hands and brought it to his lips even as his hips continued their delicious thrusting. "Feels so much better like this."

Erestor did not speak, but he did pull Glorfindel in for a kiss. It was good, kissing as they did this - that honeyed tongue in his mouth, the heat of him around Glorfindel's hardened cock. He could grow used to this. He was _almost_ used to this. Somehow he knew what Erestor would like, and somehow it did not take much to find where the counsellor was sensitive and receptive to caresses, where the angle of the thrusts should be to pull out the loudest moans. Glorfindel took note of them all, letting them wash over him as he built them up to that peak.

"Close," he whispered, half-groaned and half-exhaled, near drowning in the pleasure of it all. At the last moment though he remembered to push up, pull away, though he trembled slightly at the effort. "Let me just..."

Erestor's hand shot up to squeeze at his arm, pulling him back. "What are you doing?" came the counsellor's rushed whisper. "Don't--"

Glorfindel's head fell back in a moan as Erestor reached out between them and took Glorfindel's cock in hand. He palmed down the length of him before repositioning them back again, the sensitive head nudging against a hot, tight opening.

"Erestor. Fuck, wait--"

Another curse escaped Glorfindel's lips as he was pulled and swallowed back in that heat. His limbs trembled at the effort of holding back so that he went in easily, unable to resist. Erestor wrapped his arms around the other's neck and Glorfindel was just lost, easily pulled back to now even more desperate thrusts.

"Just go ahead and come," whispered low, so close to Glorfindel's ear that he felt those lips brushing against his skin with Erestor's every word. It was indescribable, how that voice washed over and seduced him; Glorfindel felt as though he could come to that voice alone. But Erestor was even giving him more than that, squeezing Glorfindel in mind-numbing heat so that in the next moment he was there, clawing at the bed covers and shuddering through an orgasm his mind was still half trying to fight against.

"Valar..." His breaths sounded harsh even with the winds howling outside of the turret windows. He looked down at Erestor, who looked just as flushed as he himself felt, although the counsellor's breaths were still more shallow than his.

Erestor averted his eyes from Glorfindel's stare, though his fingers still clutched at the arms around him. "What? Did you think that they had--"

"Just be quiet." Glorfindel did not even care about the details anymore. He grabbed Erestor by the thighs and _pulled_ , dragged him lower down the bed so his head was off the pillows, body now much, much closer now to Glorfindel, snug around his waist. He spread those legs wider and brought his fingers between them, deaf to Erestor's surprised yelp as Glorfindel gathered what mess they spilled on the surrounding skin, coating his fingertips with the evidence of his own pleasure. He forced those wide dark eyes to meet his own as he pushed two fingers back in.

"You have no idea, do you?" he growled even as he caught Erestor by the back of his neck, pulling him close enough to feel the resulting cry when he curled his fingers deep inside the body beneath him. "What this does to me, you damned, insensitive spawn of-- if this is what you want, then here, I shall give it to you. Don't. Fucking. Spill it." He said it through gritted teeth, punctuating each word with a hard thrust that had Erestor crying out and cursing along with him.

"Wait-- Glorfindel!"

Another cry, every muscle strained as Glorfindel found that spot that had Erestor shuddering in his arms. He ignored Erestor's cursed but weak protests, and with only a moment's shift his hand was suddenly flying, upping the speed, the moist sounds they made obscenely loud even with the wind blowing against their turret. His freed hand took Erestor's straining cock, pumped it in time with his fingers. Erestor cried out at the added pleasure and his back was instantly off the bed again; Glorfindel squeezed him for good measure, pulled his other hand back and thrust hard at an angle that soon had Erestor coming hard, nails almost breaking skin as he rode out the tremors, trapped still between Glorfindel's unforgiving hands.

It took a while for them to come down this time. But Glorfindel immediately knew it when they did, for fingers were suddenly in his hair and sharply _pulled_.

He yelped at the pain, but Erestor ignored him. "You crazy son of an Orc," cursed the counsellor. "What the _fuck_ has gotten into you?"

"Morgoth's-- Erestor, let go!"

Glorfindel wrestled that hand off of his head and just sat back on his heels. He groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing stray strands off his face even as he stared back at Erestor. "What? That was payback," he said simply.

Erestor looked incredulous. " _For what?_ "

But of course Erestor would not know. Whatever Glorfindel was struggling with, the other was always out, and so none of it would probably make sense to him even if Glorfindel wished to tell him.

The captain sighed and shook his head. He could not quite place his own mood, so with but another moment to contemplate - and perhaps admire - the counsellor's flushed and dishevelled state, he proceeded to push Erestor back down on the bed. Ignoring the resulting protests, Glorfindel just laid down with him and rested his head on Erestor's chest.

With his head positioned as it was, he could hear the sounds of Erestor's heartbeats, fast still, likely due to earlier activities. He heard as much as felt the harsh sigh Erestor released, and Glorfindel conceded - in his mind, at least - that he supposed that Erestor had reason to be confused. It was therefore fortunate that at least this time, Erestor just chose to remain quiet.

As expected, their surroundings soon began to change. They stayed still for the most part, by now already used to the way of things. Midway, however, Glorfindel felt Erestor stiffen.

"How many stories has it been?" Rushed out, sounding troubled. The winds from outside had begun to rush in, muffling their voices.

Glorfindel squinted to find Erestor through the chaos. "This was the fifth," was all he managed to say before it seemed as though the winds had successfully torn their entire tower away...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and this time, even before the walls formed around them again, they heard around them the unsettling sound of chains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New art from FalmarinDeCarme! She drew Erestor in a lovely bed of roses. ♥ 
> 
> [ [ Link to Image](http://falmarindecarme.tumblr.com/post/153396398932/so-this-is-erestor-from-the-new-part-of-my-new) ]


	7. A Bedroom in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have actually forgotten the purpose of this fic, which is why I cackled like an idiot when I caught myself digging it up right after that last update on 'We Meet Again in Imladris'. I then remembered that this story was written to get rid of all that UST in that other fic. Slow burns make me restless, a fact that hasn't seemed to have changed even after months of absence.
> 
> Right, so I remember struggling months ago and for so long with this chapter! Why I even gave myself this prompt in the first place, I don't even know anymore. Please mind the tags, as this chapter might be more intense than others have been thus far. Although looking at my notes now, the succeeding chapters would probably follow along the same kinky vein, though I will say that this would be the only chapter with BDSM in it. Okay, I don't know if that's good or bad news. I will also say that Erestor in this chapter is probably my most indulgent headcanon for this character. I do think that it is a crucial aspect of his relationship with Glorfindel, but more than that... I just enjoy Erestor this way, too. :"""")
> 
> Lastly, my thanks to SavioBriion for the fairy tale version I ended up using for this chapter. You might recognise some elements from what you mentioned to me before. I liked that version a lot, so thank you! :)

It was dark when they came to. 

They were now in a bedroom lit with just a few candles off in one corner. In the low light, Erestor could just barely make out the shelves on the walls filled with what he knew would be various... paraphernalia that defined the characters' relationship for this particular story. The floor beneath his bare feet was covered in carpet, which was a mercy given the temperature of the room.

There was a chill in the room, the kind brought by damp air and stone walls buried well underground. Erestor was expecting it and so was not bothered by it, but he knew his companion was a different story. Now that he thought about it, he could not decide whether Glorfindel was either brave or trusting - perhaps both - to not be bothering Erestor about what they ought to be expecting for each story each and every time. 

In any case, it was his job to appease Glorfindel now. He turned to look for the other, only to realise something: while there indeed was the sound of chains in the room, his own hands were free. It was not what he had been expecting, for given their experiences in previous stories, he had expected to yet again be the one to be chained. That did not seem to be the case this time around, and even upon closer inspection, he could see the rough state of his robes, the slightly longer nails on his fingers. They were even painted black - or were just naturally black, he could not say for sure - and almost claw-like, although not so much that it would be impractical. 

Huh. So it would be that way. 

Interesting.

He examined himself further to check if anything else has changed, but found nothing worth reporting save for a line of tattoos that twisted vine-like around his limbs. He only had a moment to wonder how far those things went when he heard a voice complain suddenly behind him:

"Morgoth's pits, this place is cold." 

Erestor nearly laughed. He was almost getting used to Glorfindel's bold and straightforward ways, and trust him to announce something so obvious in that same manner of his. 

He turned to where the voice came from, already formulating in his mind how to best communicate their situation with Glorfindel given the circumstances. It would be tricky, particularly with the conditions for this story, and truth be told, Erestor was not entirely--

Oh. Valar. 

Well, then.

Glorfindel stood at the foot of a large four-poster bed, the wood of it and the thick material of the curtains nearly black in the low light. The curtains and the sheets on the bed did seem to shimmer slightly, and so perhaps was some decadent material like silk or satin. But that was not what Erestor found distracting, for there Glorfindel was, wrists caught in shackles over his head, stretching his arms nearly straight up above him. Over his eyes was a blindfold, just a plain cloth wrapped around his head, wide enough across to nearly cover his eyebrows and touch his cheekbones, thoroughly obstructing sight. 

He was also completely, gloriously naked. 

Given all that they had already done, it was only now that Erestor realised that he had not yet seen Glorfindel this way - which was a shame, because oh, what a sight he made. Were one to ever forget who Glorfindel was to the Elves of Middle-Earth - or perhaps even to the Orcs and other creatures who feared him - one would surely be reminded of it now. 

He was all great height and smooth muscle, his infamous mass of hair all about him like a lion's mane. It fell to his back, though some also over his chest where sharp collar bones peeked through the mass, hard pectorals rising and falling in the steady pace of his breathing. The sinuous movement dragged down to the flat lines of his abdomen, which Erestor followed down, down to those strong thighs, between which Glorfindel's cock laid calm and limp. 

Even in that state, so quickly did he ignite lust. Erestor would not even deny the way his blood seemed to jump at the sight of him, at this point already too used to the things they had had to do with one other. 

Almost unconsciously, he turned fully to where Glorfindel stood. He let his bare feet pad softly against the carpet to announce his approach and Glorfindel, ever vigilant, seemed to quickly catch his cue, for he turned his face toward the sound.

"Erestor?"

Erestor reached out slowly, dragged his fingers lightly up a thigh, fingers resting on a hip, eyes fixed on the other's face, watching for a reaction. 

Glorfindel gasped at the light touch. Blinded as he was, he had no prior warning, and so was quick to struggle. "Ugh, son of... Erestor, this better be you," he gritted out. 

The sound of chains caught Erestor's attention. Glorfindel's arms were pulled above his head, his face framed by stretched triceps that barely concealed the strength within. The full, powerful picture he painted, so restrained, had Erestor licking his lips and moving even closer, so that they stood nearly chest to chest. 

"If it was not, what would you do?" he whispered against those slightly panting lips.

The captain gasped at the fingers that trailed soft touches up his torso, grazing the hard planes of it with that same, maddeningly light touch. He shivered as those fingers brushed across a nipple, already pebbled in the cold. "I would ask you to get your hands off me lest I do so myself, which I promise you would be more painful," he managed to say. "But seeing as it is you, then I suppose you could continue." 

"Aah, Captain. Shall I describe to you how you look now?" 

"My thanks, Counsellor, but I can imagine that well enough. You are at least enjoying the view, I hope? Perhaps you could offer me a kiss for my troubles."

He really was a handful, this Elf, demanding and with a mouth on him that could annoy just as often as it could amuse. Fortunately for him, Erestor was in a sort of mood that had the latter tipping the scale just a bit, making him more participative than was his wont. He needed little coaxing to raise his chin just enough to reach Glorfindel's lips and capture them in a kiss. 

While that somehow shut the other up, it was only for a time, for even though his mouth was preoccupied, Glorfindel could still moan out his pleasure. He did so now, a sound that went through Erestor's ears and crawled to places that made it their business to enjoy the sound of that voice, honest and deep and generous with the way it expressed enjoyment in the moment. Glorfindel's lips were ever soft against Erestor's own, his tongue skillful and inviting and it was easy, so easy now, to get lost in this. 

"Mmm. More." 

Erestor acquiesced, tilting his head slightly to angle into that kiss, part his lips more and take them deeper. Glorfindel's groan was loud from the back of his throat, and the chains overhead clinked louder the more restless he became. He licked inside Erestor's mouth, tongue brushing against tongue and it was familiar now, this taste, this warm sensation pooling low and heavy in Erestor's groin. Glorfindel kissed like he could devour you, and he had the look about him that made one think he could, too - and you would want to let him. 

They were both breathing heavily by the time they were done. Warm breaths were exhaled out against Erestor's already sensitive lips, making him dive in again, take more, kissing Glorfindel freely in a way that the other only seemed all too happy to permit. He even chuckled in between kisses. 

"This is new, isn't it?"

Erestor had to smile slightly at that, for Glorfindel voiced exactly what he himself was thinking earlier. 

"Can't say I am not excited with the turnabout, letting you do the work this time around. Dare I ask which beautiful tale we are twisting and defiling now?" 

"You should know this one well, if you truly identify yourself to be a romantic. Although, I am not quite sure what creature I am supposed to be," said Erestor as he looked down at himself again. "It is probably one of those skin changers that hide deep in the woods. Men might have sighted one and feared such creatures, thinking them a sort of beast. Then we have sick people like the author of this book, who took such stories for their own, so now we have this story of what I believe to be a skin changer and his captive."

The commentary seemed to amuse Glorfindel. "Aah, that story; I rather like that one myself. The one about a beast that comes to the girl every night? I take it this version did not keep it to innocent visits. Honestly though... bondage?" 

"How else are you to manipulate a captive into submission?" quipped Erestor. "I also imagine the blindfold does help, if you want your partner to focus on sensation and not in the way one looks. He blindfolds the girl every night." 

This had Glorfindel laughing again. "This is such a horrible book, I cannot begin to say again." He shook his head, though a grin lingered on his lips. "Should I be afraid? Perhaps it is how you look that you should describe to me."

"I have not seen a mirror yet, although all parts still seem to be where they are supposed to be. My mouth is safe - no fangs - as you should have already discerned for yourself earlier. Oh, but I do have these." He introduced his nails by scratching the points of them lightly against the sensitive skin of Glorfindel's raised arms, making the other gasp. 

"I truly am curious what you looked like reading through these stories," said Glorfindel with a shuddering laugh. "It is depraved, we have agreed on that, but the stories on their own are still mostly harmless smut, which can be enjoyable from time to time. Were the scenes at least good? Did you enjoy reading any of them in your secluded corner of the library, crossing your legs or biting your lip at certain scenes?" 

"Maybe one or two." Erestor received the eager kiss Glorfindel leaned over to take, the captain's grin widening at Erestor's response. "You are free to wonder what that looks like, for I am not going to tell you."

"In that case, I shall just let my imagination run wild."

Now more used to the other's humour, Erestor just huffed out a laugh. He did, however, run his nails lightly along Glorfindel's side in retaliation, which promptly had the captain squirming. 

"Aah." Glorfindel's laughter had a breathless quality to it that Erestor liked. "Tickles. You keep doing that."

"You keep opening your big mouth and letting it run ahead of you."

Fingers caressed further down - chest, hips, thighs - the touch feather-light. Erestor drummed his fingers down to Glorfindel's abdomen, lower still to his groin, promptly quickening Glorfindel's breaths, making them grow heavier. Erestor slid down to those legs, hesitating only for a moment before teasing around a hardening cock. He supposed, given the circumstances, there was little reason not to jump right into things, with Glorfindel all ready for him like this. The other Elf was even nearly there, already at half-mast just from a series of admittedly enjoyable kisses and some playful banter. 

He slithered down until he was on his knees, with Glorfindel groaning in anticipation above him. Erestor looked up just a moment to register and smirk at Glorfindel's inability to hide his excitement, before he then turned to more important matters. Glorfindel's groans grew louder as Erestor parted his lips, licking at the head of that growing cock before mouthing around the head, wrapping around it fully, and sucking.

Aah, it felt like it has been a while. Several stories down was when Erestor last did this. He did not tell Glorfindel in so many words then, but he actually rather enjoyed doing this for a partner. He liked the feel of it, the near immediate hardening the moment he had his mouth on it, turning hot and heavy and throbbing against his hand and tongue. He loved it especially when it was a good size, wide enough to make him stretch his lips around it, fill his mouth with something so hot and alive; he liked it long, too, but just enough so he could swallow it down to the base, get the other to throw their head back and groan at the sensation that brought. 

Leave it to Glorfindel to be perfect even down to this. 

"Valar," Glorfindel gasped out above him. "Oh, Erestor. Good... you're so good at that. Please, more." 

He did behave well, didn't he, when they were like this. Glorfindel was pleasantly polite in bed, especially when in this position. Pleased with him at least for the moment, Erestor pulled back to fist him up and down, several times until Glorfindel groaned and threw his head further back, nearly arching up from where he hung, the chains straining with his weight. Erestor watched him, sharp and intent, his own breath growing heavy just from the picture the other made. He squeezed on the upstroke, almost milking him, the tip beading up and growing slick with Glorfindel's arousal; Erestor bit his lip at the sight, opened his mouth to suck it in greedily, breathing in and lapping up the taste of it.

Glorfindel soon began thrusting into Erestor's mouth, minute movements of his hips that he did not seem to be aware of or have full control over. His breathing was harsh and fast, and Erestor pulled back just enough to look up at him again. And Valar, what a sight it was - their returned hero of old bound and flushed with his hair a messy, golden halo about his head. He seemed to shine even in the dim light of the room, and the breath all but caught in Erestor's throat. 

He would not deny getting some satisfaction from all of this. When Glorfindel first came, like most senior members of council, Erestor was wary of him, suspicious of his purpose. But it was so easy for Glorfindel to gather admiration wherever he went, for he was everything one could imagine heroes favoured by the Valar would look like. Large and bright, he towered over everyone, but about him also was a gentle sort of warmth and openness that many Elves in Lindon and in Imladris found irresistible. He was far from the type Erestor would take for himself, for he preferred partners that grabbed less attention, one that he could monopolise and keep to himself. Erestor was a jealous lover when things came down to it, and Glorfindel was exactly the sort of Elf who would still be courted by others despite already being claimed. 

Then again, having one like Glorfindel to himself like this, away from the crowds at least for the meantime - it was an indulgence that probably came only once in a lifetime. 

Erestor ran his tongue up the length of that cock before taking it once again in hand, continued rubbing it up and down. He alternated pleasuring Glorfindel like this, with mouth and hand, until the other was moaning out his approval, legs already trembling at having to keep standing throughout it all. Erestor watched him, breaths heavy at the sight of him. Glorfindel hid nothing when drowned in pleasure like this. It made Erestor want to do more for him, though he knew he needed to restrain himself for now. 

Sure enough, as Glorfindel drew closer to completion, Erestor was there waiting for him. He urged him on a bit more, hand keeping a fast and steady rhythm, but just as Glorfindel was about to finish - Erestor let him go. 

Glorfindel's disappointed groan echoed around the room. Erestor himself was not unaffected, somehow even enjoying himself throughout it all. But he let his nails and fingers trail against Glorfindel's thighs as he stood up, deliberately brushing his robes against the still sensitive skin of Glorfindel's cock, though not enough to help him out. He did press himself for a moment against Glorfindel - teasing him, delighting in the way the other readily pressed back up to him - before fully stepping back and out of reach again. 

"Ngh, Erestor. Where are you going?" 

Erestor made his way to the wall to one side of the room, unable to keep himself from wincing at the rather vulgar selection. Phalluses and paddles of different sizes and designs, and a few other things Erestor was not quite familiar with nor were in his preferences to try, lined the wooden shelves in a neat arrangement. Sometimes he could not believe the level of detail this book was capable of having. Briefly, however, his thoughts strayed back to the Elf bound behind him, and wondered how many of these Glorfindel had had experience with. 

"I am not as good at inflicting pain as I am in receiving it," he called out to their fair captain. "Do you mind?" 

A brief pause, punctuated by gasping breaths as Glorfindel took in that piece of information. "Not at all," he eventually said, almost in a daze. "There are... those kinds of items here for us to use, I gather?"

"An entire shelf of them, actually."

Another breathless laugh. "Brilliant."

Erestor at least knew his limits, and there were only so many of these he could use with any respectable level of skill. His hand therefore passed over several of those things. It hovered over a few before finally deciding on a handful he knew he could work with. These he brought back with him and placed on the foot of the bed.

"Decided on something?" asked Glorfindel when he felt the other nearby. 

"A few."

"Anything interesting?" 

"We shall find out, won't we?" 

Glorfindel's back was to him, and so it was from that angle that Erestor reached out again. "Are you particular about anything in this sort of play?" he whispered over Glorfindel's shoulder, lips against his ear. His fingers ran lightly across Glorfindel's chest, tracing easy patterns down to his torso. 

Glorfindel's breath hitched at the touch, but he did lean back to press more against Erestor. "Particular how?"

Erestor let him, Glorfindel's head falling back on to his shoulder as he now let his fingertips drift lower, playing across the sensitive skin of Glorfindel's cock, touching him up and down while careful not to let his sharp nails scratch. "I mean, do you need to know everything that will happen beforehand?" 

"That depends," said Glorfindel, voice catching in moans even as he spoke. "What kind of play will it be? Anything I should be worried about?" 

"Mostly teasing and restraining. I am not good with pain, I have told you this. I am, however, a fair bet at controlling." 

Glorfindel chuckled then, the sound low and sensual given what Erestor was doing to him. "I am not even sure I know what that means, though I do trust you. If it does not involve pain, then no need to tell me. If I do not like something, I will tell you to stop."

Erestor nipped at Glorfindel's ear before letting him go. He walked around him and went down again on his knees in front of him. The sound of Glorfindel's pleasure was ever music to Erestor's ears as he licked up that length again, kissing and mouthing around it until it was fully hard and twitching. He then held it along the length to keep it steady, and with the other hand, he carefully placed the thick, elastic material he brought with him around the base.

"Fuck." 

Right, so that was what Erestor meant.

"Quite." Erestor surveyed his handiwork, which now wrapped snuggly around the base of Glorfindel's cock, restricting blood flow. "Does that feel all right to you?" 

Glorfindel swallowed audibly above him. "Yes," breathlessly gasped out, to which Erestor chuckled.

"Don't get too excited yet. We have barely begun."

"Valar." 

The counsellor stood up and took another item from the bed. It was a fluffy sort of feather that was probably in an atrocious colour under enough light, making Erestor somewhat thankful that they were doing this in semi-darkness. He twirled the thing in his fingers while watching Glorfindel accustom himself to his new state. Without warning, he then brought his hand down to swipe the soft hairs on the tip of that strained cock.

"Oohh Nienna, this will be the death of me." 

"Not used to being made to wait, are you?" chuckled Erestor as he continued brushing the feather against the sensitive skin of Glorfindel's cock. "Our great lord from old Gondolin... I suppose your lovers were only too happy to please you. Such eagerness must make for some quick encounters, I wager." 

Glorfindel could only groan in response, straining against his bonds as the feather gave him barely enough stimulation. "Erestor..."

"Let us see how well you take this, shall we? Now be good for me, Captain." 

Blue eyes shut closed behind the blindfold as Glorfindel rode through another shudder, that feather barely, _barely_ giving him what he needed. This was definitely a new side to Erestor, more reminiscent of the strict member of council Glorfindel was more familiar with outside of this book. He seemed to have warmed up nicely, too, compared to the outwardly conservative but also oddly experienced companion he was to Glorfindel when they were starting out. It made a thrill of anticipation run up Glorfindel's spine, for already that deep tone of voice, the suggestion of control, were all promising to make this a memorable encounter.

He trembled as that feather began brushing fast and repeatedly against the tip of his cock, over and over until he was cursing and panting and begging for more. "Please. _Please_." 

"Ssh. Just take it. You are doing well already." 

Erestor, for his part, could not help but stare, teeth scraping against bottom lip as he watched that cock twitch against its confines, looking stiff and swollen with every brush of the feather. His other hand ran up and down Glorfindel's chest, already starting to grow more slick with sweat, hot and heaving under Erestor's touch and Glorfindel's need for heavy breaths. He truly was beautiful like this, a wild stallion struggling from his bonds, and it was perhaps just as well that Glorfindel was blindfolded, for it gave Erestor freedom to look his fill. 

He kept at it for a while more, long enough to have Glorfindel gasping at nearly every breath. The feather itself was fast losing its earlier quality, growing wet and sticky with precome that the bristles stuck together in an irreversible mess. It made Erestor smirk in satisfaction, and he brought that feather to his lips, mouthed the tip to a point, before brushing the thing up Glorfindel's chest, up his neck, pulling back under his chin. 

"Still with me, Captain?" 

Chains rattled in response, interspersed by Glorfindel's heavy breathing. "Holding on."

Sensing the other's restraint failing, Erestor stepped back and walked around him again. His eyes, however, never left Glorfindel, so that just as the other was able to catch his breath, Erestor's hands were once again upon him from behind.

"Just a little bit," he whispered, chest against Glorfindel's back, with a matching nip to one ear as he wrapped his fingers around that cock again.

Glorfindel struggled against his bonds. "Mandos, Erestor, I can't--"

"Yes, you can. Bear with me."

Glorfindel cried out as Erestor quickened the pace, giving the right amount of friction to bring him once again to the brink. Just as he was about to fall over again, however, the counsellor let him go, to Glorfindel's utter frustration. 

So that was the game Erestor was playing; the counsellor seemed unfortunately good at it.

Barely recovered from being abandoned by those long-fingered hands, Glorfindel felt them upon him again, only elsewhere this time around. Erestor started out around Glorfindel's waist, dragging hard down to his hips that had the captain groaning again from being so manhandled. Glorfindel nearly choked in his shock as those hands touched him further down, one cheek filling each hand as they began to knead at the firm muscles there. 

"Are you open to it, I wonder?" was whispered against his ear just as Glorfindel felt those hands squeezing harder, nearly stretching him open. "Given how you are and the way you look, I wager most partners are just gagging to spread their legs and yield to you." 

Glorfindel gasped at yet another sensation he was not often familiar with, although that was not to say that what Erestor was doing was... unpleasant.

"I--" He gasped as a thumb ran along the crease, pressing against the tight hole as though testing it. "I usually prefer doing the taking, although I do not mind it if you--" Another hiss, chains rattling overhead. "I mean, if you want to, I will not refuse you."

Erestor hummed at that response, but said nothing further. He did, however, spend a bit more time there, pulling Glorfindel's back flush against his chest as he continued his firm massage. Glorfindel fought to keep his breathing even, up until Erestor seemed to stop and step away. After a while, however, there came the sound of what could only be a bottle cap being opened. Sure enough, those fingers came back to him now slick with oil, one reaching around to slick his still sensitive cock, making Glorfindel cry out, while the other homed in between his cheeks again, rubbing the crease up and down, pressing slightly. Glorfindel squirmed away instinctively, flushing at being held in this way.

"I actually prefer it the way we usually do it, too, but there was another item that I found that I would like to try with you. Are you still willing?" 

For a moment, Glorfindel feared what it could be. He did not do this often enough - he did not do this often, period - to be able to take anything... substantial there. 

"It is not what you are thinking," Erestor added, before Glorfindel could even say anything. "You need not be used to such things for it to be pleasurable."

Glorfindel frowned at that, wondering what it could be in that case. Still... "If you know what you are doing, then yes."

He was rewarded with a kiss, Erestor turning Glorfindel's head to the side to receive it. He then manoeuvred them so that Glorfindel was bending forward as far as his bonds would allow. The counsellor did something that slackened the chains and let them go lower, and this way Glorfindel was able to shift his weight and bend forward until Erestor was satisfied. 

Gentle fingers brushed away the hair that fell over one side of Glorfindel's shoulder, and there were lips against his ears again. "I have something here. Can you relax for me?"

It was a soundless gasp that escaped Glorfindel when Erestor pushed something in him, oiled and... what seemed rod-like at first, nearly just the width of a thumb, only--

"Ah!" 

"Good or bad?" 

"Ah..." Slowly, carefully, Erestor pulled the thing out, the grooves of it rubbing against Glorfindel's inner walls, making for an interesting sensation. "I do not kn--" Erestor pushed in deeper this time, and paying more attention now, Glorfindel noted that the thing Erestor was using was curved, enough so that the rounded tip of it pressed _just right_ where-- "Oh... by the Valar."

"You will have to tell me somehow if this is working for you or not, Glorfindel."

He was dazed and he was seeing stars, and there was no way he could keep his knees from trembling at the sensations coursing through him. Erestor began pressing the thing deeper, grinding it against that sensitive spot within Glorfindel that made it absolutely impossible for him to keep his moans in. "Oh. Valar. Good. Good, I think." 

He marvelled at the sensation. Glorfindel was not a stranger to different sorts of lovers in the past, but Erestor had been right: most of them had only been far too happy to let Glorfindel take the lead. It came with the territory, he supposed, a case of one's reputation preceding him, where people just seemed to assume that what power and leadership he practised in the battlefield and at court would also translate to the bedroom. While that was mostly true now, there was also a time in his youth that Glorfindel had been more... adventurous, so to say, and more open to equal roles in bed. 

The handful with whom he did attempt it, however, were sadly not something he could brag about nor consider memorable. Most of them were either as young and inexperienced as he had been, while those who did have experience only seemed intent on lording their power over the "Great Glorfindel of Gondolin". Such times were rough and heavy-handed, mostly cases of proud males proving a point, and so were only pleasurable as far as Glorfindel could convince himself they were. There just was no encounter like it that he particularly liked, and so he took it upon himself to just lead such things, which became his way until he was used to it.

Erestor's style, however, was not something Glorfindel was used to. For all that he seemed beautiful and easy when he yielded to Glorfindel, so was he commanding and skillful in even this. His hold now was firm and sure, but so was he also careful and took things slowly, so that even at the start Glorfindel felt no pain. Even without his sight, too, he could feel the counsellor's eyes watching him like a hawk, and even when Erestor moved to kneel in front of Glorfindel again he could feel those eyes on him. That gaze was an odd sort of comfort to Glorfindel in this surreal moment. Erestor held him steady with one hand, reminding him of his presence, as the other manipulated the instrument inside Glorfindel as though it was the bow of a lute, rubbing him steadily with it and moving it in ways that had pleasure coursing through him in waves, making Glorfindel emit sounds he did not even know he could make. 

Never had he had a partner so intent on pleasuring him this way, making this now seem shockingly new. He struggled in his restraints, and every once in a while his cock brushed against Erestor's lips by accident. But even this the counsellor rewarded with a kiss to the tip or a lick up the length of him, which never failed to add to the whirlwind of sensation Glorfindel was fast losing himself in. He could feel his arms straining within the shackles that held him, the tremors now flowing to the rest of him as his entire body worked to keep itself upright.

"Still with me? I see you are growing used to it," he heard Erestor say against his hip. Glorfindel paid attention only enough to notice that the other's breathing was ragged, too, as though whatever he was doing to Glorfindel was affecting Erestor just as much. "Don't come yet, Glorfindel." 

Erestor then pressed the plug harder into him, held it right against that sensitive spot that had Glorfindel throwing his head back and crying out. He spasmed against his bonds, nearly falling to his knees if not for the chains that held him up. Erestor's other hand on him, his steady crooning of "don't come, don't come," were the only things keeping Glorfindel from losing his mind entirely.

"Good... so good for me, Glorfindel. Just hold on a little more." Erestor's mouth was on his cock then, his hand keeping the stimulation where it was growing unbearable, until Glorfindel could feel tears prickling at his eyes and wetting his blindfold.

Voice hoarse, he could not help but call out, "Erestor. Erestor, please, no more..."

"What do you need?" 

"Please, I just..."

He must be growing delirious now, for in the next moment Erestor was in front of him, his sweet breaths exhaled into Glorfindel's mouth, soft touch caressing one cheek, oh so tempting. "Tell me."

"Valar." Breathless, mind failing and needing anchor. "Kiss me." 

Erestor kissed him, and somehow it was more intense. Glorfindel nearly sobbed as Erestor touched him through that kiss, oiled palms rubbing Glorfindel's already engorged cock and pressing it against his abdomen. The plug was inside him still, a steady and occasionally sharp weight when they moved a certain way. All of it was maddening.

"I need to come," he hissed low and urgent against Erestor's lips. "I need you now. Please, please end this now." 

Erestor gazed at his prize, that fair face flushed red under matted golden hair, visible even in the dim light. He stepped back and watched Glorfindel grow quiet, his breaths still deep but growing slower. He was beautiful, especially as it seemed that he was beginning to understand things now. Touching, prodding, testing limits and pushing one to the brink of pleasure and pulling back at the last moment, again and again until one cannot take it any longer - that was what this was about. 

Glorfindel's exercise of control was utterly seductive to Erestor. He cried out, but his body was obedient. Erestor was taken by the urge to tell Glorfindel how good he looked, how well he was taking things. He wondered what Glorfindel's reaction would be to such talk, hearing what a good boy he was, how deliciously obedient, but seeing him now, Erestor doubted if such words would even register. Glorfindel looked dazed and completely lost to pleasure.

Urged on by his partner's state, Erestor carefully pulled the plug out and let it fall on the floor. He then unwrapped the chains from the bedpost and found the hook that held them to the ceiling. This he also pulled down, catching Glorfindel's still shackled hands just as the other groaned from the pain, which Erestor sought to ease as he squeezed up and down those strained arms. 

He pushed Glorfindel back on to the bed, the shackles nothing more than heavy bracelets on either wrist. He stood at the foot of the bed and began pulling at his own clothes, eyes never leaving the Elf that sought to catch his breath as he lied bonelessly on the mattress. 

Now as bare as the other, Erestor climbed on the bed and straddled Glorfindel by the waist. He reached for the oil again and started preparing himself.

"Can you wait just a little longer for me?" 

"Valar, please, please..."

Glorfindel's voice had taken on that low timbre, one Erestor recognised as one fast falling. He therefore prepared himself more urgently, letting the sounds of it reach Glorfindel as he watched the other arching up in anticipation. He let his moans out when he felt them coming, giving Glorfindel at least that distraction until Erestor was ready for him.

"Erestor. Please, now, I cannot take this anymore."

Finally, finally, Erestor sank down on him, enveloping him in slick, tight heat. Glorfindel's groan was deep and tortured, but his hands quickly sought for purchase on Erestor's hip, holding tight. He pulled Erestor down to him, thrusting up in him in turn, hard and deeply in a way that had the counsellor crying out this time around as his hands scrabbled to grab onto those that held him so strongly. 

Midway, Erestor had half a mind to remember to remove the ring around Glorfindel. Barely off of him and Glorfindel was grabbing and begging for him to let them continue, but Erestor just bent over him for a moment to check on the chains, ensure they would allow the other movement before then moving on to remove the blindfold. 

Glorfindel's mad eyes glowed steel blue in the candlelight. 

"You have been so good for me," Erestor whispered in the small space between their breaths, forehead resting against Glorfindel's as he met that gaze square on. "You are free now. Come and take what you need." 

Needing no further invitation, Glorfindel growled and rolled Erestor face down on the bed. The chains followed where his hands went, so that part of it laid cold and heavy against Erestor's back. He did not have the time to adjust, however, as Glorfindel quickly claimed him again, parting his cheeks to bury his cock deep within him, hands and weight upon Erestor's arms folded on either side of him, restricting movement. 

The claiming this time was mad and furious, with Erestor falling just as fast as Glorfindel took him hard against the mattress. The room was filled with their groans and cries as both chased after their peak, near delirious given the long stretch they had to endure that evening. 

Glorfindel was first to come, but even as he did so he pulled Erestor to his hands and knees, reached around him to pull his orgasm along with Glorfindel's. Erestor cried out as his came and hit him like a sudden tempest, and he trembled at the onslaught and the demanding Elf on top of him that seemed to refuse to let him go. 

Neither knew how much time passed before they recovered, but eventually, Erestor found himself facing Glorfindel on the bed. Their limbs were heavy and tangled with one another, and the sweat on Glorfindel's forehead shimmered in the candlelight. 

"You are a piece of work," said the captain, words slurred and chest still heaving from the exertion. "You know, the kind I would keep on my team just so I am sure I would never find myself facing you on the other side."

Erestor frowned at the ridiculous Elf before him. "Are you still delirious?" 

Glorfindel laughed then, short and breathless. He then stared at Erestor for a moment, his eyes roaming around the other's face. "Interesting paint job you have there." 

Erestor winced at the comment, suddenly remembering where they were. "So it does reach up to my face, I take it?"

"It is not so bad. You still look your same beautiful self, if a bit more... decorated. Definitely not quite as beastly as I would have expected, though."

"No?"

"I was imagining a warg for this story, actually."

Erestor scrunched his nose in mock disapproval. "Too adventurous for my taste, but I suppose you are free to enjoy what you enjoy. Just count me out."

Glorfindel laughed even as their surroundings began to change, and his voice was lost to the blowing winds. "I suppose this is what I get for complaining about you always being in a hapless state." 

"What was that?" Erestor called out amidst the swirling colours around them.

More laughter. "Nothing, darling."

That, Erestor did hear, although he had not had the chance to reprimand the other, for the winds began to blow so strongly that he had to shut his eyes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

...until slowly, in the periphery of their consciousness, there crawled upon them the scent of smoke.


	8. In Bed Beside a Window

When Glorfindel woke, it was to the mixed fragrances of spring flowers and that smoky leftover scent of incense that had burnt out through the night. 

He blinked his eyes awake and found himself lying on his side, facing a bedside table made of dark wood. On the table was an unlit candle, an oil lamp, and a small stand around which were the ashes of what he assumed was the incense stick used the night before. Dawn's light shone against the wall at the far end of the room, the shadows it cast faint yet and long. 

It was more or less around the time that he woke back at home. Patrols began early, a habit he gained from old kingdoms that he then brought with him to the beautiful valley of Imladris. He knew, of course, that they were not yet home, for the room's style was like nothing he had seen in the valley. A wider survey of the surroundings revealed that the bed upon which they were laid was made of the same dark wood as the bedside table, and above it hung a rich canopy trimmed with gold. 

Perhaps a royal house, he thought, or at least a nobleman's mansion. The furniture and decor were telling enough. 

He turned, pulling the covers slightly as he did so, figuring it was time enough to check on his companion. 

Sure enough - _and thank the Valar,_ Glorfindel's mind supplied, for he had had enough of not finding Erestor where he was supposed to be in these stories - Erestor was laid out on the other side of the bed, still asleep. Glorfindel pulling at the sheets revealed the counsellor wearing what looked like a black night robe made of thin and fine silk, his dark hair splayed about him in a way that was almost... neat, damn him, especially given the time of day. Glorfindel could not help his grin at the thought, for the Valar forbid their ever formal counsellor be caught being less than presentable even in repose. 

Glorfindel could not remember the last time he woke with someone beside him. Such things seemed so long ago and lovers for him were truly few and far in between, so much so that something like this - despite that it was conjured by a strange book - was still something of a treat.

Erestor was... charming, Glorfindel supposed, caught like this. To his relief, it even looked like true sleep, with those green eyes at half-mast and merely glazed in sleep, unlike that time in the turret where Glorfindel worried about how the other would wake. Erestor slept with a hand in front of him, palm up and with those fingers elegantly curved, the other a loose fist tucked to his chest. How odd that even like that they looked like such capable hands, slender and long-fingered, too, in a way anyone could easily admire. 

Glorfindel peered closer, for something else caught his eyes. There, peeking underneath a lock of dark hair, was a small pink thing - a flower petal, Glorfindel later learned when he had picked it up between two fingers. 

Behind Erestor's side of the bed was an open window. There was a flowering tree outside with light pink blooms, their petals falling with the breeze like gently falling rain. A few even made their way through the window and on the floor. It was evidently the culprit behind Erestor's charming hair ornaments, and Glorfindel peered over the bed and out the window to look closer, for he had never seen such a tree before.

The movement seemed to awaken Erestor. Glorfindel felt the counsellor shift beside him, the bed covers slipping even further as Erestor rolled to his back, his fair face scrunching as it caught the light. He blinked a few times. 

Glorfindel watched him at first curiously and then with growing amusement, as it soon became evident that Erestor was not a morning person. He was slow to wake though he obviously tried, having caught a glimpse of Glorfindel already seated beside him. He even lifted himself on his elbows, but remained quiet, and seemed helpless against the need to rub the sleep off his still glazing eyes. 

"Good morning," Glorfindel greeted good-naturedly, for he was, in fact, a morning person. Risking a moment of daring, he brushed Erestor's cheek with the back of his fingers, clearing it of hair and with the touch light and careful, in case Erestor was the grumpy kind of not-morning person. Glorfindel did not even think too much about it anymore though, this near immediate urge to touch the other. They had been in each other's company in this book, doing so many other things beyond touches, that surely to be familiar like this ought to be fine. 

Glorfindel was still delighted though when Erestor merely sighed, and indeed did not protest. At the very least, the counsellor could not seem to be bothered to reprimand him or push him away. 

"Are you awake yet?" Glorfindel ventured to ask, to which Erestor merely grunted. 

Glorfindel laughed at that response. Erestor was endearing like this, body heavy and lethargic in the morning, his straight, black hair falling down his back and his far shoulder that Glorfindel was not able to reach, and so could not clear it of hair. He briefly entertained the thought of what it would be like to have mornings like this back in Imladris, with Erestor pleasantly quiet, his body heat warming the space under the covers. 

Glorfindel thought about the next urge only for about a moment before he found himself leaning in, offering, "Perhaps I can be of help?" 

He no longer even thought about it too much, how he could not seem to keep his hands off Erestor anymore. It was so easy to pull him to a kiss, to get that now familiar heat of soft lips against his own, so good and sweet and yielding. The counsellor did not quite return Glorfindel's affections, though he did turn slightly to him as though without thought, allowing Glorfindel to frame that beautiful face between his hands and press their lips more firmly together.

Erestor was so warm. When they parted from that kiss, Glorfindel found himself admiring Erestor under the light of sunrise, mellowing down his usually cool countenance. He seemed a little more awake now, for he regarded Glorfindel with a contemplative sort of stare, though he was quiet and obviously drowsy still, blinking so slowly Glorfindel thought he could follow the way dark eyelashes brushed against those sharp cheekbones. 

Before he realised what he was doing, Glorfindel had pushed Erestor back down on the bed. Their next kiss was deeper, warm lips getting caught between teeth, pried open by a tongue emboldened by a surge of lust. Glorfindel pressed Erestor down a little harder, somehow finding himself getting caught in the moment, lips never leaving skin even as he kissed down Erestor's neck, hands crawling beneath fabric.

"What do we need to do this time?" he whispered against a warm ear. "We could make this a quick one." 

He grasped Erestor's head again, fingers burying in soft, black hair as he caught the counsellor's lips in another kiss. It seemed that they fell easily to the motions now - Glorfindel on top of Erestor, Erestor finally coming awake as he arched up and rubbed deliciously against Glorfindel's quickly hardening cock, white legs bared by robes getting hiked up in their little tussle now wrapping slowly around Glorfindel's waist--

And then Glorfindel found himself on his back, caught under deceptively slender but strong hands. Erestor leaned down on Glorfindel, pinning him with his sharp, green gaze.

"Thank you, Captain. I am awake now." 

Glorfindel watched with surprise and poorly concealed hunger as Erestor slowly sat up on top of him, as smooth as a panther upon its prey. Although disapointed that they stopped, memories of the earlier story also came to Glorfindel in that moment - the sensation of Erestor moving around him, of hands dragging down his chest and teasing him, as slowly as Erestor was moving now. Arousal pooled low in Glorfindel's groin at the sight and the thought that Erestor must have looked like this in the last story, playing with Glorfindel bound in chains.

Erestor seemed to largely ignore the way Glorfindel all but devoured him with his eyes. But he was not oblivious, for he returned that gaze with what even seemed like a look of challenge. With one hand still splayed on Glorfindel's chest, he kept eye contact as he carefully raked the fingers of the other hand through his hair, smoothing it out and away from his face. The sleeves of his silk robe rode down to his elbow, revealing more skin to Glorfindel's avid gaze. As it was, the robe he wore was hardly neat anymore after Glorfindel's earlier enthusiasm, and he treated Glorfindel now to a peek of a white shoulder, sharp collarbones, smooth arms and Valar, those long, naked legs on either side of him.

Erestor looked a bit amused, but then that was probably because Glorfindel was near panting beneath him. There was also that the counsellor was sitting right on top of what was now certainly an undeniable bulge.

Erestor, for his part, at least felt more awake now than he earlier did. His eyes continued boring down on Glorfindel as he smirked down at him. "You look like you are nearly done." 

Far from embarrassed, Glorfindel merely shot back, "I could be, if you help me out." 

Erestor chuckled at that response. He shifted as though to make himself more comfortable, but only succeeded to grind once down on Glorfindel, whose pleasured gasp came out sounding sweet and intimate in the morning air. Erestor's lips curved at the way blue eyes flashed from below him. "Without knowing the rules of this story, what point is there?" 

The captain groaned at him. "Relief, for one."

Erestor laughed again, the rich sound of it - Mandos, just everything about him - causing Glorfindel's arousal to spike. He arched up, caught Erestor's wrists in his hands and said, "Valar, Erestor, just tell me what we need to do."

"Or else?"

"Or else I am taking you every which way on this bed in the hopes that one of those things will get the job done." 

To Glorfindel's delight, that actually got him a reaction. Erestor's eyes seemed to dilate, and his next breath came through parted lips. Taking advantage of that, Glorfindel grasped Erestor's hips and _pulled_ , his own surging up to grind against that perfectly positioned behind, bringing friction to where he needed it most.

Not surprisingly, Erestor stopped him again, though he still at least seemed to be amused by Glorfindel's impatience. 

"I said that's enough, Glorfindel. Here." 

Despite the other's protests, Erestor grabbed at the hands on his waist and removed them from their comfortable perch. One hand he dropped to one side of the bed, but the other he kept holding, even teasing Glorfindel by making to entwine their fingers together - not that it was not effective, as Glorfindel rode through a thrill that coursed through him at the gesture. Eventually though, he noticed that Erestor's attention was focused on a ring around his middle finger, one he did not even notice he was wearing. 

The counsellor smirked down at him. "Whenever you are ready, just make a wish."

Glorfindel was only barely able to stop himself from saying he wished Erestor would _move_. 

Given that his brain had used up all resources keeping him from saying his first lewd thought, he could only manage an intelligent, "Pardon?" 

Erestor tipped his chin over to the bedside table, all serious now as he shifted to what Glorfindel had come to call his 'lecture mode'. "There is a lamp on the table and a ring on your finger. You, my dear Captain, get to play the lucky boy-turned-prince after having found a wish-granting lamp and ring." 

The story finally clicked in Glorfindel's head. "And you are my princess?" he could not help but tease.

"As much as you were to me in the last story. And no, getting me to grind down on your cock would not count as a wish." The bastard shifted again, just once, then kept pointedly still.

"Valar." Glorfindel had about half a mind to curse Erestor with all the words he knew. Erestor could be rather stubborn though, so despite his body protesting it all, Glorfindel moved to push him off in the meantime. "Up, please. We shall have it your way, but this is torture now." 

It was true, too. Even clothed, Erestor felt heavenly, his backside wonderfully plush and perfect pressed against Glorfindel's cock. There was a crazy moment when Glorfindel thought he could probably get off on that, just rubbing against Erestor from behind, preferably bent over the counsellor's desk - or Glorfindel's desk, he really was not picky. He wondered if there would ever be such an opportunity, and whether Erestor would let him. He nearly laughed at the idea.

Regretfully, he pulled Erestor off of him as he made to sit up. "So what is this," he asked, seated now with Erestor on the bed, "obviously not the kind of wishes where we can just go, 'Get us out of this book and back to Imladris', is it?" 

"I am afraid not," said Erestor with a shrug. He pulled his hair over one shoulder in what looked like a casual manner not meant to seduce this time around, but Glorfindel's eyes followed the movement all the same. "Although by now you should know what type of wishes would actually be of help to us." 

"Aah..." Unconsciously licking his lips at the strip of neck now visible with Erestor's hair out of the way, it took a moment for Glorfindel to meet the other's eyes again. When he did, he found that Erestor was watching him, and somehow Glorfindel knew nothing was slipping past that sly counsellor - not that Glorfindel was doing much to hide from him anyway. "Now that you say such things, suddenly my head is filled with dirtier things."

"Is it not always?" Erestor's exasperation might have been tinged with some amusement. He squared his shoulders and proceeded with his usual lecture. "After the chaos with the sorcerer and his brother, the magic lamp and ring remained with the prince. Even with the original story, you do not think these items were not abused in some questionable, hedonistic way, do you?"

Glorfindel laughed. "I do now, thanks to you."

"The new prince, for instance, had a newfound love of doing things in different places."

"Is that his style then?" The golden-haired captain looked around them. "That is a shame considering where we are. This is already a pleasant enough place for me; it even has a bed and everything." 

Exasperated, Erestor shook his head. "Then wish for somewhere _with_ a bed." 

The change happened fairly quickly. Unlike the times when they were swept up by harsh winds from story to story, this time their surroundings seemed to shift before their very eyes. One moment they were in that sunlit room, and the next they were in another one, with the bed even facing the other way. The steady sound of a waterfall could be heard in the distance; even the air around them was also different, the smell of fresh leaves more prominent. 

A look of guarded wonder bloomed on Erestor's face as he seemed to realise where they were. He made to look around, and his eyes inevitably went to the large window to the left side of the bed. It revealed a most familiar view. 

"Imladris," he breathed. He caught himself though, and he turned back to narrow his eyes at Glorfindel. "Did you seriously wish us in Imladris?" 

Glorfindel, of course, only greeted him with a grin. "Welcome, Chief Counsellor Erestor, to my bedroom back home." He looked around, impressed. "It even looks exactly how I left it."

For a moment Erestor just stared. Truly, Glorfindel never failed to surprise him, and he soon found himself having to bite down his lips to keep from laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all. "I am astounded by your creativity, Captain. All the power in the world to wish for any depraved thing your heart desires - and you wish for Imladris?"

Glorfindel looked unrepentant as he smiled and merely shrugged at Erestor. "I will have you know that my heart has ever been drawn to home. Besides, a few days ago, you on my bed would probably be one of the more scandalous thoughts I could entertain in council, especially if the others were to find out."

Erestor tilted his head at that, his expression amused and aware. "I admit that indeed would be quite the scandal."

"Aah, but then that is only because they think you are too prim and proper." Glorfindel laughed. "If only they knew that in fact, not only _could_ the chief counsellor sleep with the new captain of the guard, but he also has many other interesting talents in addition to his myriad of political accomplishments."

"I am afraid that would be inconvenient for me should they find out," Erestor said with feigned seriousness. "Should you tell, be warned that I am fully prepared to distract them with the fascinating bedroom habits of our esteemed golden captain." 

Glorfindel laughed at the idea even as he reached forward for Erestor's hand. To his surprise and delight, the counsellor went easily with him, merely looking curious as he was pulled to sit on Glorfindel's lap. Glorfindel wasted no time shifting Erestor higher up the bed, so that eventually the other was sitting in the middle of it with the pillows stacked high behind him. 

Erestor inspected the mound behind him before turning and leaning back against that stack, steady gaze back at Glorfindel. "You have to wish for more than this, you know."

"Hush, I am not done yet," said Glorfindel with not a small amount of glee, "because speaking of council..."

Something shifted again and this time, Erestor felt it on his clothes and even felt a light pull on his hair. He turned distractedly to peek over his shoulder. He needed not look too closely to know that his hair was now pulled to a formal style. He touched the side of his head and immediately recognised the intricate braids there, pulled to the back of his head and rolled in a small bun near the base of his head. The rest of his hair flowed neatly down his back, with a few locks making it down his shoulder and front.

"I believe this is what you looked like the first time we met," said Glorfindel as he surveyed his work. "The most formal I ever saw you, if I am not mistaken. Has anyone ever told you that formal wear suits you, Counsellor?" 

Erestor raised an eyebrow at that remark, not to mention at the revelation that he apparently made an impression at their first meeting. Glorfindel, in turn, was now wearing a more casual white tunic and trousers, nearly house clothes really, though that was not to say he looked plain nor ordinary. Glorfindel's eyes were still the same clear blue, his hair still as bright and golden, and the healthy tinge of colour on his cheeks was ever present. No one could actually dare say that their living legend would ever look ordinary, but then Glorfindel did not need to know that. 

"Just what silly things are you wasting your wishes on?" was what Erestor ended up asking as he looked down at himself. Glorfindel put him in his gold-trimmed black robe, one of a set the High King himself gifted to his high counsellors given the number of important guests they had to entertain on a regular basis.

"Not exactly wasting if they are infinite," said Glorfindel. "Besides, I am sure the book will accept my wishes. They actually serve a purpose." 

"And what purpose would that be?" 

Glorfindel did not answer, but Erestor did catch the other's grin before his lips were captured fully in a kiss. Glorfindel's kisses had always been on the bolder side, but it seemed to Erestor even more so this time around. Glorfindel held Erestor's head steady with one hand on his nape, the other brushing against his cheek, fingertips straying to his chin. A slick tongue made its way into his mouth, hot and demanding, until Erestor found himself swept up into yet another one of Glorfindel's devouring kisses. 

They kissed for some time, slow and deeply. Glorfindel seemed to take his time with this one; he sucked at Erestor's tongue before putting his back in Erestor's mouth, licking inside and alternating things this way until he pulled a moan out of his companion. He caught Erestor in his arms as the other arched up to him, body following where their lips led, teeth playfully biting as desire spiked. 

Their breathing was fast and shallow by the time they were done. Glorfindel basked at the flush on Erestor's face, the dazed look in his eyes, the moist redness of his parted lips after being so abused. His hair was in place still, but it only served as a perfect contrast to the blush on his fair face, heightening the effect it made on his companion.

"This is such a good look on you," Glorfindel breathed in wonder, before leaning in to capture those lips again.

It was oddly thrilling. Glorfindel knew that it was still Erestor, with whom he had done these things many times before ever since they began this little misadventure of theirs. But with him looking like this, so formal and so neat just as he always did when they encountered each other at work, it all now felt like a sordid fantasy come to life. Glorfindel had always admired how the other looked so put together, clad in his robes of office with not a single hair out of place. He was every bit the perfect politician, honed and perfected by an entire age walking the halls of the palace at Lindon, his presence almost too much and too intimidating at times for the humble valley of Imladris. 

There was something intoxicating about bringing all that here, in Glorfindel's bed, Erestor's bare feet even sticking out of the dark, gold-trimmed hems of his robes. For a moment, Glorfindel basked at the realisation of what a treat this was. Surely, even as he admired Erestor in office all those times in the past, so must this sight of him in the process of coming out of those robes also been real, confined only to the privacy of Erestor's closed bedroom doors, with no one to witness but the walls of the room and the counsellor's own bed. Oh, but what a sight Erestor must make after a long day. Glorfindel welcomed the image of Erestor in his own rooms bathed in warm afternoon light, letting his hair down after a long day in council. What would it be like, he wondered, to witness something so intimate and personal? 

Glorfindel paused, struck by the warmth that seeped into him at the thought. He took Erestor's hands.

"Come, let us get your hair down from those braids," he said to him.

The counsellor raised an eyebrow at that, taking note also of the strange timbre of Glorfindel's voice. "You just wished them that way."

"Yes, and now I want to undo them." Glorfindel pulled at the hands again. "Come." 

Erestor sighed, but did go along with Glorfindel until they were in the middle of the bed, with Glorfindel seated behind him. The captain wasted no time and was soon undoing the bun and those braids, pulling ribbons out and combing through the dark waves with his fingers, smooth to his touch. He sighed at that soothing sensation.

He then turned Erestor around so they were facing each other again, with Glorfindel by the pillows and Erestor near the foot of the bed. 

"You look nice in those clothes," remarked Glorfindel.

Erestor tilted his head again in that curious way, his hair, now fully down and free of its confines, following his movement. If he thought Glorfindel was acting strangely, he was at least humouring him, for he only looked down again at the robes he was wearing. "I only wear this when we have visiting dignitaries or during large events. To think that I had to wear it on your return..." He rolled his eyes, making Glorfindel grin, for he was not quick to take offense over such things. "Honestly. Did you also think the pomp and the revelery upon your return was a bit too much?" 

"I later realised," said Glorfindel in amusement, "when I knew the High King better, that he would use any opportunity to throw a large party."

Blue eyes drifted down, admiring the gold-trimmed details of Erestor's robes. They fit Erestor so well, too, the material flowing down his long and slender limbs but hugging him around his chest and waist. The high neck was the finishing touch to the deceptively conservative attire, covering so much skin, and yet the silhouette was one that stoked desire.

"There is a certain novelty to it - the formal wear, I mean," said Glorfindel. "In Gondolin, Turgon ran a rather conservative court. Robes like this were not an unusual sight, seen day to day." He realised something then, and curiously, he asked Erestor, "Where were you, when Gondolin stood?"

A dark eyebrow rose at the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Is it a secret?"

Erestor shrugged, but his gaze turned to the light streaming in from Glorfindel's window. "I do not think of my life beyond Lindon anymore these days. Those were dark times."

Glorfindel frowned at that, even more curious now. "Despite the peace?" 

"There was no peace, not outside Gondolin," said Erestor, his face oddly solemn when he turned to face Glorfindel again, "and especially not up north."

It took Glorfindel a moment to realise what he meant. It seemed that he had inadvertently stepped on something sensitive, judging by the look on Erestor's face. It was perhaps true that nobody spoke about the First Age as much anymore in those days, and now Glorfindel wondered how much of that was because of pain stirred by memories of a land cast in shadow and the greatest war they have seen since the Years of the Sun. Gondolin had been kept safe by the Echoriath, but regardless of where from the north Erestor resided, all the other northern realms were ever at war with Thangorodrim. What manner of loss they endured on a regular basis then, Glorfindel could only imagine. 

It was why he moved to lean towards Erestor, and kissed him softly in apology. He had not meant to unearth dark memories. "Forgive me. I am reminded of how little I actually know about you."

"What is there to know? I assure you, my life is not very interesting." 

Glorfindel smiled and said, "I highly doubt that," but said nothing further.

Erestor allowed the silence for a moment, and they sat together like that for some time. He did sigh eventually though, and pushed at Glorfindel's chest - not harshly, but it brook no protest. "Well, no more of that," he said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about I grant you a request instead? In line with this theme anyway, perhaps you have a wish you want fulfilled."

As far as distractions went, it was the best Glorfindel had ever heard. How ever curious he was about Erestor, he at least recognised when something was better suited for another time. "You would grant me any request?"

One look at Glorfindel made Erestor relent, but at least the look of amusement was back on his face. Glorfindel enjoyed that look better. "Perhaps only up to a reasonable limit," said the counsellor, lips upturned.

"Fine, then." Glorfindel's mind was already working fast given such a rare and generous offer. "I have something to confess: looking back, you have always somehow caught my eye, at least in a sense that I would notice you in a crowd. Then here, several times have I been seduced by you, but all times seemed to have been by accident. I wonder..."

The growing smile on Erestor's lips the moment Glorfindel shared such words only widened as he ventured to guess, "You wish to be purposely seduced?" 

"I wish to know what it would be like when one truly has you on-board." Glorfindel grinned, thinking back. "In that last story, I liked how you did... all of it. It was surprisingly hot, how you can manipulate a lover. So yes, Counsellor, I wish that you seduce me, and I dare you to make me enjoy this story more than I have any other." 

At first Glorfindel wondered if he would be refused given Erestor's propensity for choosing the more conservative options, given the chance. Erestor seemed to wonder, too, for he regarded Glorfindel with one of those long stares he sometimes did, which never failed to make Glorfindel curious as to what was going on in that great and secretive mind.

Whatever it was, the decision seemed to be in Glorfindel's favour. His next intake of breath was long and deep as he watched Erestor slither closer on his hands and knees, expensive robes following his movements and tightening in the right places. He settled comfortably between Glorfindel's legs, his legs tucked to one side and one hand even warm and familiar on Glorfindel's inner thigh. When he leaned closer, Glorfindel was waiting for him, lips already parted for that kiss that he knew was surely coming.

Erestor, however, pulled back. "Nay, Captain," he said, the words so close his breath tickled Glorfindel's lips. "Do not kiss back. Just open for me."

Glorfindel exhaled harshly, blood racing at such instruction even as Erestor finally leaned in and kissed him. He struggled to obey, arousal rising once again at having to resist the immediate urge to lick inside that honeyed mouth. 

Erestor was a sly one. He played at the knowledge that Glorfindel enjoyed these things, kisses that were far from innocent, which he loved above everything else how ever crazy Erestor considered him for it. He was sure now - he truly, truly never had anyone like Erestor. None of his lovers were ever this sharp, learned his preferences so fast, knew exactly what to do to make him weak. It was uncanny how effective Erestor was, and it felt so new for Glorfindel, who was so used to being the one in charge of seduction. 

The urge to kiss back was strong, and so Glorfindel distracted himself by touching Erestor everywhere, for he did not hear such a thing to be forbidden. Erestor's body was beautiful to both sight and touch, all straight lines and some surprising soft curves. His thighs and the soft mounds of his behind burned the skin of Glorfindel's palms; they felt good and so decadent underneath the fine cloths of his robes. 

It felt good to have Erestor in his arms like this, so available for touching, flush against Glorfindel's torso as the counsellor moved to kneel on the bed. He tilted Glorfindel's head back to receive his slow, seductive kisses and Glorfindel just sighed, eyes helplessly closing, lips parting further as he opened his mouth to Erestor's tongue. A hand was slithering down Glorfindel's chest, to his abdomen, sliding lower by _just that much_ before pulling up again. Glorfindel felt his cock twitch at being so teased and he groaned out his reaction, whether with disappointment or pleasure, he was not even so sure anymore. 

Erestor released him then, pushing him back to lean against the pillows. Erestor, in turn, slid back to sit where he was earlier. Glorfindel frowned at the distance and did not even think twice; he sat up, meaning to pull Erestor back, only to find himself being pushed back again this time by a bare foot peeking underneath the hems of those robes. 

"So impatient," said Erestor with a disapproving tut even as he continued pushing Glorfindel to lie back. His foot slid slowly down a hard chest along with the movement, dragging down to a flat abdomen, and lower. Glorfindel did not even notice himself holding his breath, but it all came out exploding on an exhale when Erestor pressed the arch of his foot right on Glorfindel's crotch, feeling unapologetically along the length of his cock. Valar, he was already so hard, and the sensation of being pressed down this way was unlike anything he had ever known.

A corner of the counsellor's lips twitched in amusement. "Already?" 

It was not like Glorfindel could deny it. Erestor had never had much difficulty getting him to this point, and the sight of him now - completely covered still but with his hair down, relaxed and lounging back on his elbows as though he belonged right there on Glorfindel's bed - was doing absolutely nothing to help Glorfindel's state.

It was therefore only a slightly trembling, "Yes," that Glorfindel could provide him. 

Erestor rewarded him with a low chuckle, the sound of it going straight to the cock that the cruel counsellor was grinding slowly with his foot. He nodded once at Glorfindel's trousers. "Open it for me, just a bit." 

Glorfindel's mouth fell open in aroused disbelief, but still he scrambled to do as he was bidden. His fingers fumbled clumsily at the laces of his trousers. Once those were undone, Erestor immediately brushed Glorfindel's hands aside again with his foot, skillfully reaching inside the opening of Glorfindel's trousers to ease out an already engorged cock. 

"You are so easy," chuckled Erestor as he massaged that organ up an down. Glorfindel gasped helplessly at the unexpected pleasure of it, hands scrambling for purchase and settling on the sheets. He kept his legs open and bent at the knees, his head thrown back and deeply breathing as he savoured this new sensation. 

"Now," continued Erestor, voice a low timbre that only served to get Glorfindel's temperature to rise even higher. He kept rubbing Glorfindel, long and slow strokes from the base of his cock to the tip, alternating between light caresses and pressing firmly and rubbing him against the skin of his own abdomen. "Imagine sitting across from me in council, and I have you like this, fondling you in your breeches under the table."

Glorfindel's blood jumped at the picture that painted, and he could not have stopped his harshly exhaled, "Valar." 

"Closing now into a full hour, nearly everyone is bored to death and still we are not yet done. We have not even begun discussing the plight of those working the farms. Likely, we are looking still at a meeting that would stretch another hour." 

Erestor's voice had gradually taken on the tone he used in such meetings, though strangely tinged still with that subtle tone of seduction. Had Glorfindel been more in control of his faculties, he would have laughed, for trust only Erestor to be able to mix the two. In that moment, however, he could only fight to keep still and not lose his mind to the things Erestor was feeding it, surprisingly dirty in a way Glorfindel would not have expected from him.

"Ah, but you do not mind, do you, Captain?" continued the counsellor. "Not when you are like this, sitting across from me with my foot between your legs and..." As though to demonstrate, he pressed Glorfindel with a long stroke, from balls up to the now leaking tip of his cock, lingering at the head and just rubbing there. "Anyway, I do not mind doing this for you, provided you can keep quiet and not distract us from our thinking." 

"Fuck." 

Erestor hummed distractedly before saying, "Ssh, none of that." 

Glorfindel loved the way Erestor's voice lowered the way it did when he reprimanded Glorfindel in bed. (Glorfindel did not even know he _wanted_ to be reprimanded in bed - that was another revelation.) It took a cooing, deceptively tender quality, but which Glorfindel knew was perfectly calculated to get under his skin. Valar, Erestor was perfect for him. Everything he did was right, and the whole experience with him was a long but upward climb, culminating in what Glorfindel was sure to be yet another mind-blowing peak. 

Slow, steady strokes brought him back to where they were. The rhythm and friction were hot and enticing as Erestor allowed Glorfindel a moment to groan through a wave of pleasure, before shushing him again. "Stay quiet, Captain. Now, let us go through the crops one by one..."

Glorfindel's head fell back, his mouth falling open in pleasure though he did obey and reined in his voice. But by Mandos, Erestor was amazing. Glorfindel kept still, arms and legs spread on each side of him, giving Erestor free reign and oh, how Erestor rewarded that. He rubbed Glorfindel past the base and even down his sacs, and at the upstroke he slid the length of his foot up against the head in a long, beautifully torturous slide. Fingers down to his toes curled at the sensation, and Glorfindel had to bite his lip to keep from moaning out again.

They were like that for a while, Glorfindel fast losing himself to pleasure as Erestor worked him with feigned boredom and droning on about dull matters usually discussed in council. The focus of his movements, however, was hard to deny. His pace was steady and firm, and his eyes never strayed from Glorfindel though the other could not always keep his own open. But whenever he did, it was to find Erestor intently watching him, smirking even as he continued his teasing.

Soon though, the pleasure built to a dangerous height. Glorfindel took hold of that sinful foot, stilling its movements. 

"Show me how you do it," he dared to say. His breaths were heavy and laboured, but his hold on Erestor was tight and sure. "Here, on my bed. I want to watch you."

"How I pleasure myself, you mean?" Not looking the slight bit embarrassed by the request, Erestor pulled himself to sit up. "I do not usually do it anymore. Perhaps only after a long day, though I cannot say when the last time was."

Despite this, he moved across the bed to sit nearly on Glorfindel's lap. Glorfindel watched curiously as Erestor removed the ring from Glorfindel's finger and placed it on one of his own. 

"Have you ever done it after a long meeting where I was in attendance?" he asked Erestor even as he was pulled up so the two of them could switch places again, with Erestor leaning back on the pillows.

Erestor's lips stretched in a slow smirk as he settled back, his legs slowly spreading to settle on either side of Glorfindel. His robes rode high up to mid-thigh to accommodate this, but he let it, even letting his bare ankles brush against Glorfindel's legs and hip. He looked the captain square in the eye as he answered, "Yes."

Truly, the air in the room seemed to have grown so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. "Valar, show me." 

Glorfindel helped Erestor remove his outer robes, the expensive fabric thrown and quickly forgotten on one side of the bed. This left Erestor in the thin white inner robe, even more effective in acting like second skin, loosely tied so that the gaping neckline fell down on one arm, revealing a white shoulder and prominent collarbones. Glorfindel decided he liked that look and so left Erestor in it, who only raised his brow at Glorfindel, but did not question him. He did, however, rid Glorfindel of his tunic and trousers so that he, at least, was naked in bed. Glorfindel did not quite care about his own state, and merely gave Erestor whatever he wanted. 

"You look so good on my bed," said Glorfindel, admiring Erestor against his patterned sheets. "Any chance I could keep you when we return?" 

"I remember a few stories back when we started out that you were merely interested in joining me for tea." 

Glorfindel smiled. "We can have tea in the afternoon," he said, to which Erestor laughed. 

"Tea in the afternoon, bed in the evening? Captain, I am not that easy." 

"Your rooms, then? Because I am that easy." 

He took both of Erestor's wrists and guided those slender hands to Erestor's chest, initiating the movements he wished to see the other make. With his own larger hands over Erestor's, he slid the touch down Erestor's sides, down to the open hem of his robes, below Erestor's waist, bringing them together to the space between those legs. Glorfindel delighted at the sight of Erestor's hard cock, revealed when they pulled up those robes, though his eyes went quickly back to Erestor when the counsellor moaned, bucking up against the fist that Glorfindel coaxed around his cock. 

He let go then and sat back to watch Erestor move on his own. He watched with barely-concealed hunger as Erestor's hand moved up and down, the other wandering down between his spread legs. Glorfindel's next breath was a hissed inhale as he watched a finger playing at the rim of that pink pucker.

His question, when it came out, was gruff and hoarse. "Who do you think about when you do this?" 

Erestor just looked up at him and smiled at the question, but did not answer. He did, however, push a finger inside what looked like an already prepared hole. The magic ring on Erestor's hand glinted in the light and Glorfindel thought, _of course he would think of that_. 

Twin moans reverberated up to Glorfindel's high ceiling as Erestor next plunged that finger in deep. Glorfindel's mouth fell open, watering at the sight of Erestor arching up and touching himself in his bed. Valar, the very idea of it felt like it could make him come. 

He grabbed at Erestor's ankles, spreading them wider. "Have you ever thought of me?" 

This time, Erestor's smile stretched further with a look of mirth, and he laughed even as he closed his eyes along with the pleasure he was giving to himself. "Confident of you to ask, but I would rather the answer to that remain a secret." 

"You can, you know," said Glorfindel. "After this, should you want to - because forgive me, I shall definitely think of you."

"You truly are something else. You do not actually tell someone they will be fodder for your fantasies, do you?" Erestor was on two fingers now, though he kept his gaze on Glorfindel, enjoying the look of lust he kept finding there. "But it seems I have no choice in the matter. I find I must take you up on that offer, else I would be on the losing end. Now, I believe, is a good time as any to start."

Glorfindel just sat there slack-jawed as Erestor closed his eyes and let his head fall back in what was undoubtedly a look of pleasure. The counsellor was nothing short of breathtaking, mouth falling open in a moan as he pushed three fingers deep into himself, and as if there was ever any doubt about the contents of his thoughts, he gasped out a quiet, "Glorfindel..." 

\--and Glorfindel was lost. 

He surged up to him, kissed him and took over. He did not know if Erestor somehow knew that this was going to happen, and so he did it in a way that would also prepare himself to be taken hard and uncontrollably - knowing the sly counsellor, Glorfindel would not put it past him. Pale hands fell readily when Glorfindel pulled him so Erestor's legs were around the captain's waist, and their cries matched almost in pitch as Glorfindel proceeded to fill that neglected hole with his cock. 

Glorfindel only had about enough of his mind intact to take the ring back from Erestor, who cried out in the next moment as a strong wave of pleasure was sent through him. He turned wide eyes up at Glorfindel, who only smirked and punctuated it all with a hard thrust.

"Good?" he taunted. He began a series of hard and quick thrusts that he made sure hit Erestor just right, by now already knowing well how to do so. The counsellor arched up to those thrusts, putting himself further in a position prime for taking. 

"Oh, yes," he moaned out, hands scrambling up to hold on to Glorfindel's shoulders. "Are you seriously going to use all your wishes on me though?" 

"Yes." Definitely, and if Glorfindel had another thousand wishes, he would probably still use them all to pleasure Erestor while he himself watched and devoured the perfect sight of the strict and formal counsellor so debauched and lost. He bent down to kiss him before wishing another wave of lust through him, delighting at the the tremors that coursed through the body pressed against his and the scratch of nails he could feel against his back - although that last one planted an idea in his head.

"I want to tie you to this bed," he bit out through gritted teeth, not quite relenting from their hard and steady fucking. 

Erestor hissed out a curse at the suggestion, his walls tightening around Glorfindel in that deliciously telling way. _Promising,_ thought Glorfindel, but then Erestor completely shattered any remaining doubt when he buried blunt nails into Glorfindel skin, looked him in the eyes and said, "Do it." 

The ribbons that appeared and wrapped around Erestor's wrists came almost instantly, pulling his hands up towards the middle of the headboard. Glorfindel stopped only for a moment to in turn pull Erestor _down_ , so that his beautiful body was stretched out gloriously on Glorfindel's bed. And then Glorfindel was upon him again, taking him even harder now that Erestor cried out and held on to the edge of the pillow under his arms. 

"Fuck." Erestor's hips were moving on their own, grinding down on the cock buried in him so fully, surrendering completely to pleasure. "Valar, Glorfindel." 

"Yes, just like that." 

"Fuck!" 

"Gladly." 

Glorfindel realised that there was nothing more he wanted than to claim this Elf beneath him and truly make him want it. He wanted to give him _everything_ , and to be there to witness it when the other shattered completely in his arms. It was perhaps why, even in the madness of the moment, he still was able to remember something Erestor mentioned last time - something about enduring pain, hinting at rough handlings. Erestor had always surprised Glorfindel with the things he could take, and so it was with that last thought that Glorfindel allowed himself to entertain the urge. He pushed Erestor down by his tied wrists, pressed him down with his own weight, and with the other hand covered his mouth, muffling his cries.

Erestor's eyes flashed under the hold, but it was one that Glorfindel knew was not a look of protest. The loud cry that his hand stifled, too, as Glorfindel took him hard, was wanton and lost, coming in time with those green eyes growing dazed and closing shut. Erestor came undone in the next moment and it was beautiful, the way he shuddered through the sudden tide of an unexpected orgasm. 

The sight of him like that and the feeling of Erestor tightening around his cock was all Glorfindel needed to find his own peak. It did not take long until he was coming hard and deep inside the other, that warm body deliciously pliant after coming and just taking his seed, allowing Glorfindel this indulgence that perhaps started out as an accident, but one that he was dangerously growing addicted to. 

He later slumped down against Erestor, laughing as the other huffed in protest at the weight of a body unceremoniously dropped on him. Glorfindel removed the ribbons around Erestor's wrists with his own hands, already completely satisfied with the work the ring had already done. He peppered kisses along Erestor's neck and face, lingering longer on his lips each time he passed them. He could not stop kissing him, but then, he realised he never really wanted to. 

"Surely, you have ruined me for everyone else," he said even as they kissed, in the space they allowed in between to breathe. Even as the world seemed to change around them, Glorfindel found he did not care. The book could part them when it will, but he would hold Erestor for as long as he was able. "I think I am in love with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought the last chapter would be the longest. Well, I was wrong, but I have not allowed myself to make excuses when I started this project, and I will not do so now. *dies in a vat of her sins*


	9. A Quaint Workshop Closed for the Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not written hard smut in such a long time. *cries* I feel like my soul just withered and died late this year. No one is happier about this update than I am. D:

They found themselves in a room awash in golden light. Somewhere behind them was a roaring fireplace that kept the room warm for the evening, but long shadows also played with the dancing light of the fire against the stone walls. 

The room, although kept mostly clean, was filled with wood and various tools: a saw neatly stored at a corner work bench, chisels and whittling knives lined up along one table. An unfinished block of wood sat beside the carving tools, while an assortment of finished things – sculptures and decorative items, wooden busts, dolls and the like – were displayed all around the workshop. One wide span of wall, however, was reserved for mirrors, each framed in wood of ornate designs and clearly handsome make.

Erestor approached those mirrors, inspecting them and even touching the woodwork. 

Over to another area of the room closer to the table with whittling tools slumped Glorfindel. He crouched bent on his knees, shaking his head as though to clear it. 

"I really am yet to get used to this," he complained. He did straighten eventually, fixed his hair (tied in a low tail) and looked down at his clothes (simple tunic and trousers, quite ordinary). He looked up at Erestor. "This time, I can even feel a touch exhausted still from the last one." 

Erestor, in turn, was wearing robes, but of a material similar to Glorfindel's clothes. His hair fell in a neat braid over one shoulder. "I would not worry too much," he said as he returned to his thoughtful observation of the mirrors. "We will not be here long now. This is the last story."

Glorfindel looked up at this. He watched the flames dance against Erestor's dark head and back, straight and stiff-looking from where the captain stood. Something about Erestor's stance exuded a guarded sort of quiet, although from their distance, it was difficult yet to tell what could be on the counsellor's mind. 

Another cursory look around the room revealed another area, two steps raised from the workshop. It looked like the living area of the place, if Glorfindel were to venture a guess. There was a partition there behind which he expected the bed to be, while over at the large window from which moonlight streamed in, he saw that there was a table set for dinner.

"This book has absolutely no subtlety."

Glorfindel turned to his companion again. Erestor was still around the mirrors, though he had already moved on from the one he was looking at earlier and was inspecting another. From where Glorfindel stood, he could see Erestor's face reflected in the glass.

"If you are only realising this now, then I say you ought to count yourself lucky," was what Glorfindel thought to say. He approached Erestor and stood behind him. Erestor kept still, allowing Glorfindel to observe him first before shifting his gaze to contemplate their reflection in the mirror. 

Glorfindel's silence seemed to eventually bother Erestor, for the counsellor met his eyes and frowned. "What?" he asked suspiciously. 

Glorfindel, however, just flashed him a grin. "Nothing. Handsome as always, I thought." 

Erestor rolled his eyes, but that at least finally seemed to break the odd tension in the room. The chief counsellor moved away from the warmth of Glorfindel's chest on his back and went on to stalk over to the other side of the room.

"I could have meant you!" threw Glorfindel behind the other. Expecting to be ignored, he was surprised to see Erestor turning to him with an odd look on his face. The counsellor did not say anything though, and so a golden eyebrow rose. "What is that look for?" 

Erestor seemed to wait a moment longer, but when nothing seemed to happen, he frowned. "Nothing," he said, mimicking Glorfindel's earlier tone. He shrugged at the curious look he received. "I just thought it was interesting." 

He said it in his usual cryptic manner that, of course, riled Glorfindel. "What is?" he asked as he followed Erestor to the other side of the room. 

That did not receive any answer though as Erestor proceeded to step up to the living area to inspect the place. There was a generous spread on the round table near the window, complete with dark red linen upon which were an assortment of fruits, meats, some cheese and warm bread. There were even two goblets of wine on each side, with the bottle sitting near the sill.

"Is this meant to be celebratory?" Glorfindel looked at the spread from over Erestor's shoulder. He leaned over to pick up a grape, gave the fruit a cursory check before popping it in his mouth. "You don't think the book would trick us now, do you? What if we do not get out?" 

"It has done its mischief, so I say it has achieved its purpose," said Erestor as he did his own checks. He peered over the rim of the goblets and saw his own serious face reflected in the dark liquid within. "I do not see why it would keep us here."

"At the very least, it has food around and allows us _some_ rest. We could technically survive. I do not think we have been to any horrible place either." Glorfindel paused, reflecting. "The bedroom with the chains was a bit cold, I suppose, and even with my eyes covered I could tell that it was not a very welcoming place." Despite this, he grinned and turned to Erestor. "But you more than made up for that." 

The chief counsellor looked sidelong at Glorfindel, once again perhaps longer than necessary, but all he said was: "I do not think Elrond would be pleased to have two senior officers suddenly disappearing." He followed this with a sigh and waved his hand dismissively. "Stop talking now, Captain, and let me tell you the details of this story before your mouth gets you into trouble. Although surely, you can already see where we are?"

Glorfindel gave another look around, this time taking more details in. "Woodwork, and that looks like the workshop over there. So, the story is the lying... puppet?"

"Something like that," said Erestor with a nod. He sat on one of the chairs around the table, which Glorfindel promptly followed, taking the seat across from Erestor. "The story goes that there lived a lonely wizard who had a love for woodwork. One day, he had the idea of creating a companion for himself, which he then sought to do to the best of his abilities. But contrary to what we would have been used to, in this story, he made a lover instead of a son."

"Of course, he did."

"The puppet he then brought to life, a young lady, who did walk and breathe as though she was truly alive. But the wizard, having long been solitary and suspicious of others, cast a spell on them so that as lovers, they could not lie to one another. It was an ill-conceived spell, of course, for although passion flared between them instantly at the beginning, so quickly did it also wane for the once puppet. Love, rather than life, apparently, was more difficult to conjure."

Glorfindel, who had been listening to the story with some interest – not every story had been horrible to him, after all – frowned at these later details. "How is this the last story of the book? It sets such a bad mood."

Erestor tilted his head at him. "It just is."

"Was there no way for the wizard to just negate the spell?" 

"Not this spell, no," said Erestor with a shake of his head. "The puppet also could not sustain life without the wizard, and so could not leave him, and she grew to resent this. Eventually, the truths they said to one another caused more pain than happiness, for love not returned can be painful for both people."

Glorfindel sighed. "How did it end?" 

"Ambiguous, actually. The story claimed that many endings were said of it. One version had the years passing the couple in misery. Another said the lady ran away, to be found by a hunter deep in the woods, lifeless and nothing but an ordinary puppet. Another had the wizard growing mad in torment, and he pushed his lover to the flames and followed her to death soon after."

Glorfindel sat back, appalled. "That just went from bad to worse."

Erestor's lips twitched. "I do admit that this book is a bit of a hit or miss, but I did not expect you would grow this invested, Glorfindel. Most of the stories are even just cheap twists for smut variety, if you have not yet noticed."

"I try to finish books I start, so you could say that makes me a little invested," grumbled Glorfindel. "Besides, with collections of stories, one would think the order with which they are told is something to consider." 

"You would think so, unless just as the collection of stories was random, so perhaps was the book picked for the spell. Perhaps the mastermind behind this joke of a curse just woke up one morning and put a spell on the first book he touched. The Valar only know what goes on in the heads of madmen." 

At this, however, Glorfindel chuckled and held up a hand. "Darling, let me stop you there, for it may not be wise to badmouth the instigator of a trick when we are so close to freeing ourselves from it." He then leaned over to tear off a piece of bread and helped himself to some of the salted meats. "So," he said as he popped his first bite into his mouth, "we cannot lie."

Erestor watched the other for a moment, and thinking of nothing better to do, picked up a piece of cheese himself, and began to nibble on it. "I assume we cannot. I have not thought to try it yet." 

"Then, let's try it. My name is Glorfindel. I now reside in Imladris but serve under..."

Erestor left Glorfindel to it, but quickly raised an eyebrow at that pause. "Well?" 

The captain took a moment; it passed, after which he caught Erestor's eyes and he shook his head. 

The counsellor sighed. He expected it, but that did not make the limitation sit any easier for him. It was not that he lied often, or that he would be likely prevented from not speaking if he chose to omit information, but it was still an uncomfortable, vulnerable situation for one to find himself in. He could not help but give a slight shake of his head himself. 

"What do you think is the point?" asked Glorfindel from across him. 

"You mean aside from being a long, drawn-out practical joke?" 

Glorfindel's head tilted, conceding to that point. "Yes, aside from that. Why this story for last, and why this condition? You know, with a table set like this, perhaps it expects us to talk through this experience." 

"Then it still sits in practical joke territory and never left it!" 

The words escaped Erestor before he could rein them in, but if Glorfindel was surprised by the outburst, he did not show it. That was a good thing, for fairly quickly Erestor could sense his own frustration rising to the surface.

"What does it expect we will do? Confess newfound affections for one another? The conditions and the setting are short-sighted and juvenile, and if the book thinks that there is anything genuine that can be created by all of this--" Erestor had barely thought of the words before he could feel the insults and denials lodging in his throat. He shook off the feeling and just went on a different route. "I stand by my position before: this book is dangerous and should be thrown away. From the very beginning, the curse is questionable. We have settled that there is some relief that it is us, for had it caught some younger, frailer thing, then what the book requires of them in order to get out is just unforgivable! And then to expose them at the end like this? I can take blindness, fine, or even what other silly thing it thinks to throw, but everyone has their limit, and one should not expect everything can be done so easily. The book plays with its victims and it is cruel."

The words died from him suddenly, and Erestor could just slump with his face in his hands. "Just..." The words were muffled in his palms. "Thank the Valar this is the last." 

Glorfindel, for his part, watched Erestor quietly from his side of the table. None of it really came as a shock, for if there was one thing that could rattle a politician such as Erestor, it would perhaps be something like this. It was nothing he would fault the other, for whom guardedness already seemed like second nature. There were many things Glorfindel could think about after everything that Erestor said – he could wonder at that pause, where the other stopped, wonder what it was he hated and whether Glorfindel had anything to do with it – but it just seemed like more pressing matters were at hand. 

He stood from his place, and it took him just two steps to reach Erestor. He went down on one knee on the floor beside the other, coaxed him to turn, and placed both of his hands on those stooped shoulders. 

"Calm down," he said gently, peering up at Erestor. Getting no response, he took those hands and eased them away from the other's face. "You need not worry, Erestor, for it is not something I intend to use against you." 

At this, green eyes finally looked up to meet Glorfindel's gaze. "Why not?" asked Erestor. "It would be a good opportunity to get something interesting out of somebody. And, based on last time, I thought that you might want to..."

Glorfindel waited for the other to finish, but it seemed that no other words were forthcoming. He tilted his head at Erestor, and just said, "But you mind it quite a lot, do you not? That is plain to see." He ventured a smile as he squeezed those hands in comfort. "You are a cautious person, and while you are not the most quiet person I know, nor would I accuse you of being a liar, you do have a way of revealing only the things you are willing to reveal. It is even admirable the way you do it, and I respect that. A book ought not take that from you."

Erestor blinked at Glorfindel, then more keenly observed him in the faint light. Glorfindel had been many things throughout their time together – shameless, mischievous, bold and at times even insufferable in the way he seemed intent on embarrassing or annoying Erestor at every chance. Even outside of the book there had been no way of hiding him, for he lit up rooms with his presence whether he did anything or not. But that was not to say that he was as crass and bullish as his reputation implied, and despite the things Erestor might have said aloud about him, he had always known Glorfindel to be far from unintelligent. 

This, however, was a slightly different, slightly deeper detail to the bright captain that Erestor was perhaps just beginning to realise. He seemed more insightful than Erestor initially gave him credit for, for looking back, there was little that he did that caused true offense. He was even sensitive with Erestor, more careful than Erestor would have expected from one of his rank and reputation. 

"I..." he began, but found he had little he could say. His dark hair bowed. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," said Glorfindel, just as easily and with a smile. He tucked a stray hair behind Erestor's ear. "This need not go on for longer than you wish. Perhaps if you could tell me what to do…"

Erestor shook his head at this, stopping Glorfindel. “Nay, we are in no hurry." He turned to the table and gestured at the spread. "I am relieved by what you said, and the table is full yet."

Glorfindel looked at what Erestor pointed at. He seemed to contemplate it for a moment, before he reached out, took the goblet from his side of the table, and tried a sip. "The wine is good, at least.”

Erestor watched him, bemused. "At least."

"Tell me, though: exactly _how_ are we supposed to get out of here anyway?"

The counsellor's eyes briefly lifted to the ceiling before he nodded towards the workshop. "The mirrors."

Upon hearing this, Glorfindel laughed and peered back at the wall full of mirrors. "Oh, I see. That was what you meant by 'subtle'."

"Honestly,” scoffed Erestor, “it is a cheap device for truth metaphors, and a thinly veiled attempt to justify mirror sex."

"Aah, but I would still give it points for variety. Besides, mirror sex is exciting."

Erestor looked at Glorfindel strangely even as the other rose to return to his seat. That was when Erestor noticed that he was also already smiling, even just a moment away from laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of what Glorfindel was saying. Just a moment ago he had been on the verge of true anger, the contents of his ever-full mind combined with his cautious nature and quick temper summoning a myriad of worries. But Glorfindel truly had a way of brightening things, cooling the air and easing the tension. Erestor's fingers were relaxed around his goblet when he raised it to his lips.

"Come now," continued Glorfindel. "I bet this isn't even the first time you have done something like this. I have begun to think you can actually teach me a thing or two."

This time, Erestor indeed laughed. "Oh, shut up, Glorfindel."

The evening passed fairly pleasantly after that. Glorfindel was able to fill much of that time with stories and, as promised, no questions. He even stayed clear of the two of them and merely regaled Erestor with anecdotes about their shared acquaintances and the many ways he had been privy to things both embarrassing and inappropriate. 

"Please, I do _not_ want to hear these things about Círdan," Erestor eventually found himself saying while frantically waving his hands. "I work with the fellow, and if I did not know that you are currently unable to lie, I would not even believe half of these things you are telling me now." 

"That you do not know these things about him at all is such a disappointment, Erestor! I mean, it is an interesting and important hobby of his, no?"

"I have never lived with him, have I, so how would I know? And how do you even know? You have only stayed in Mithlond for, what, three years?"

"Yes, which is time enough to learn quite a few things. Now, as you apparently do not know this about our most esteemed colleague—” more laughter, with Glorfindel reaching out across the table to grab Erestor’s wrist, for he was attempting to leave “—listen and let me educate you."

That was how the evening was filled with questionable things and inappropriate gossip. They were even able to finish the wine this way. Above them, visible from the window beside which they sat, the Moon shown a bright full orb in the sky, and it soon rose to such a height that told anyone that the night had grown quite deep.

"I can actually just sleep," said Glorfindel with a yawn when he caught Erestor looking out that window. "Let the night flow and just greet a bright new day." It would not be so bad, he even thought to himself. They could find the bed somewhere in that house and he could enjoy the time just as perfectly by sleeping, with Erestor beside him.

Erestor, however, had other things in mind. "And do the kind of thing we are supposed to do in broad daylight? Nay, I do not think so."

“Then, we can wait for night to fall again.”

“I know I said we can tarry, Glorfindel, but not by that much.”

Erestor punctuated this by rising, brooking no more of Glorfindel’s half-hearted arguments. The captain sighed and followed him back to the lower area with the mirrors. 

Out of the ones there, they both picked a tall mirror that could accommodate their height and was wide enough so their reflections fit comfortably in it. "This looks adequate," offered Glorfindel with a grin, which grew wider at Erestor rolling his eyes. 

"Sure, because it will hide nothing. Quite comfortable with your own body, aren't you?" 

Quickly shifting to how they were in these stories, Glorfindel slowly wrapped his arms around Erestor’s waist and brushed his lips against that long neck. He made sure to meet the other’s eyes in the mirror. "I assure you, that is not what I will be looking at." 

As was becoming their way, they quickly fell into familiar motions. Glorfindel's chin fit into the crook between Erestor's neck and shoulder, eyes briefly closing as the counsellor's soft behind pressed against his clothed cock, already half-hard from the wine and the easy banter. He kept them deliciously pressed that way as his fingers quickly found the ties holding Erestor's robes together. His eyes avidly followed the movements, watching every tuck and fold of fabric though there was still little skin revealed. Erestor's eyes quickly caught his again in the mirror, and Glorfindel could not help but grin at that steady, unyielding gaze. 

It was only natural to find themselves kissing after that. The memory of Glorfindel's smile and blue eyes at half-mast were the last things Erestor could remember before his own eyes closed and his lips were captured in a kiss. Glorfindel's mouth tasted of the last of the fruits and the wine, but Erestor was soon distracted from that and shocked into a moan as fingers caught his nipples in a playful tug. Glorfindel began flicking at the sensitive nubs through the thin robes as he deepened their kiss, bending Erestor slightly back so that he had to hold on to Glorfindel's arms, clutching tight as a shudder of pleasure washed over him. 

But as suddenly as that kiss came, so was it also so taken away. Glorfindel drew back and pulled Erestor to stand once again in front of the mirror, and this time they both could see the wetness in those lips, the flush on Erestor’s cheeks, the still drowsy look in his eyes and the slightly more dishevelled state of his robes. 

"Lovely..." Glorfindel breathed against the edges of Erestor’s ear. Erestor was not quite sure what it was – the wine, the easy air of that evening – but somehow it was as though his head naturally tilted back to allow Glorfindel to press kisses down his neck. He shuddered at the feel of teeth scraping against sensitive skin, the teasing touch of tongue. 

Glorfindel's hands were equally busy, roaming around Erestor's waist and torso in a touch that was almost proprietary. Robes stretched at those bold touches, fingers scrunching the fabric and burying underneath its folds. Soon, the robes were falling down Erestor's shoulders and fingers were dragging against bare skin, finding pert nipples showing rosy pink in the fire light. 

“Oh…” If the conditions were strict about watching their reflection in the mirror, Erestor was fast failing them. Breaths came deep and audible as Glorfindel teased him more, thumbs flying back and forth against nipples that were growing more and more sensitive from the attention they were being given. 

"Given that this is the last time…” Glorfindel whispered low in Erestor’s ears, making his breath hitch again. He could even hear the smirk in Glorfindel’s voice. “I would like to enjoy you to the fullest, Erestor, if you would let me."

"Not that it looked like you were reining anything in in the other stories," Erestor managed to say, meeting Glorfindel’s glowing blue eyes. 

"No, I suppose not." Glorfindel made quick work of his own tunic, quickly pulling it over his head. The touch of bare skin against bare skin was good and thrilling, and Glorfindel continued to pepper kisses along Erestor neck and shoulders as he pulled him back flush against Glorfindel’s chest again. "Still. Let me?"

Next went the sash around Erestor’s waist, which was the last thing holding those robes together. The rest of the robes fell with it on the floor. Deft fingers then went on to Erestor’s braided hair. Sharp, green eyes met Glorfindel’s in the mirror, questioning, to which Glorfindel merely grinned, gave a wink and a simple, "I like your hair down." He placed a kiss in the middle of Erestor’s nape, before covering the skin there with a thick fall of black hair. 

His work undressing Erestor done, Glorfindel walked around to stand in front of him, his own back to the mirror. He bent the slight way needed to kiss Erestor's lips again, staying there briefly to dip his tongue into that honeyed mouth, just long enough to tease out a moan. He then travelled down Erestor's neck, nipping and sucking on the skin until patches of it grew red from his attention. He listened keenly for every hitch of breath and stifled moan, and he made sure to press them close as he went further down. 

Erestor’s head fell back as a slick tongue licked up at an already sensitive nipple. Waves of black hair flowed down the counsellor’s curved back as Glorfindel pulled him closer against himself, Erestor’s hardening cock caught in that tight space between them while Glorfindel sucked, licked, nipped and mouthed against those pert buds. He alternated one after another, allowing the hunger to rise within him, and he worked them for so long and so attentively that Erestor stumbled back and nearly tripped on his own feet. Glorfindel, however, was merciless; he only held Erestor long enough to steady him, but soon he was sinking down further and taking that cock into his mouth. 

Erestor’s cry reverberated up to the ceiling. After being so teased, the heat around his cock was unexpected but so exquisite. Glorfindel did not even seem to be holding back. The mouth on him was enthusiastic and generous, each lap of tongue bold and full from base to tip that it was not long before Erestor was completely hard, fingers clutching and buried under Glorfindel’s golden hair. 

Glorfindel, meanwhile, had fully knelt before Erestor. Erestor’s cock filled his mouth to satisfaction, and when he pulled back the taste of him lingered, making Glorfindel’s mouth water. The lust washing through him was potent and irresistible, making him dive back in over and over until Erestor was throbbing in his mouth and his groans were filling Glorfindel’s ears. He pulled back, however, the moment he felt Erestor’s pleasure rising, easing him down with lighter and more playful licks. He chuckled at the curses he heard Erestor whisper above him in frustration, for they both knew fully well that this was far from over. 

Glorfindel rose and captured Erestor’s lips once again in a vicious kiss. “Still with me, Counsellor?” he taunted, letting Erestor’s bare cock brush against his still clothed one. 

There was a growl low in Erestor’s throat, but when he opened his eyes, he met the challenge in Glorfindel’s level gaze. “Easily recovered from,” he said, voice even perfectly clear. 

Golden eyebrows rose. “That is good,” Glorfindel continued in that teasing tone. “Perhaps then you are up for something more. Here.”

Erestor hid his shudder when warm hands enfolded his own and pulled him ungently towards the mirror. Glorfindel went behind him again and guided Erestor's hands to hold on to both sides of the mirror frame. Next, without pause, he pulled Erestor's hips back, coaxed his legs to spread wider, and went down on his knees again, this time behind him. Erestor's breath hitched as he felt strong hands upon him, pulling at his cheeks to expose his most private place to Glorfindel’s undoubtedly waiting gaze. He soon realised what the other intended to do, but any words of protest died on his throat as a wanton moan raced them to it, sounding loudest thus far around that room as Glorfindel went on to lick right along his hole. 

"Glorfindel!" Head falling back as his hands scrambled to clutch tightly around the wooden frame, Erestor could feel his knees tremble as that tongue licked him up again. He cried out the moment Glorfindel closed his mouth on him, tongue busy and working and licking around him without shame. Nails made scratches against wood as slick sounds and Erestor’s own laboured breaths filled the silence of the place. 

Glorfindel groaned into his mouthful, the mixed taste of Erestor's cock and the deeper taste of him here thick on Glorfindel's tongue and completely going into his head. He wrapped his lips around that hole and felt it twitching around his tongue, as though attempting to catch it at every pass, hungry for deeper and more. Glorfindel gave him that, formed his tongue into a firm point and drove it in, burying deep and revelling in the cry that met him with much appreciation. His mouth was open wide and his cock was heavy and leaking between his legs, and briefly Glorfindel entertained the thought that he probably would not mind it, coming in his own hand while eating Erestor out in this vulgar and filthy way. 

He did not even think twice about it all – the hunger, the desire for so much more than what he was already doing. Instead, he let that feeling overflow. The desire to reach even deeper was unbearable, but it was difficult with Erestor squirming. Glorfindel therefore grabbed at those hips and held them in place as he pressed _in_ , just shoving his tongue in, pulling back completely and then in again, fucking into that thick heat. Erestor's now broken moans sent another frisson of desire to course down Glorfindel and he took two fingers into his mouth, rolled his tongue around until they were wet and nearly dripping, and then plunged them into Erestor's wet and softened hole. 

Erestor's pleasured cry shot straight down to Glorfindel's twitching cock. 

"Valar," the captain gasped out. He could feel the passion overwhelming him and he scraped his teeth against one of those smooth and tempting cheeks, the softness of them yielding easily in his bite. Erestor's groan, too, was deeply satisfying, and he pushed his fingers in and out, imitating the motions of hard and ruthless fucking. 

Erestor, for his part, held on to the frames of that mirror as though they were the only things holding him up. This was likely even true, for his knees felt close to buckling and his face looked back at him debauched and deeply flushing, the red brightest on his parted lips from which hot breaths escaped to fog the cool surface of the mirror. It was not a look he sported often, much less saw often, but once again it was gone as his eyes shut closed in pleasure. Glorfindel’s fingers were relentless as they pushed against that place inside Erestor that made him see stars. 

"In me," he heard someone say in a strained voice before he even realised that it was his own. "In me, in me, now, _please_ , Glorfindel, please, please—” 

He heard the sound of cloth shifting and some fumbling behind him. There was a tug on Erestor's arm, and then: "Come down to me."

Glorfindel's cock was already oiled when Erestor was pulled to sink down on it, but he could only spare a moment to wonder how it was that the book kept supplying such things to Glorfindel. His groan was already broken-sounding but no less wanton as the length and girth of that cock went in him in a long and satisfying slide, stretching and filling him and reaching so deep in that way he liked. 

Somehow, Glorfindel managed to coax him to open his eyes, fingers on Erestor’s jaw and making him _look_. And for all of Erestor’s experiences, the sight of them together in that mirror nonetheless brought a fresh blush to bloom on his cheeks. He was sprawled back against Glorfindel, cock hard and cheeks flushed and every breath coming from a red and open mouth, the point at which they were connected not visible in the picture but clearly implied. Glorfindel’s trousers were pulled down to mid-thigh, his every muscle seemingly flexed and casting sharp shadows upon his sun-kissed skin. He held Erestor against him, one arm around Erestor’s waist and holding his arms in place, the other upon his neck. But worst of it all, what made Erestor shiver and remain caught in those arms, was the sheer _predatory_ strength of that blue gaze in the fire light. 

“Good?” Glorfindel taunted low in his ear. He _moved_ and Erestor gasped, head falling back against a hard shoulder as Glorfindel pulled back and pushed in, finding rhythm. Glorfindel's own laboured breaths were loud in Erestor's ear, but he was fast falling, the field once again shifting between them so it was Glorfindel once again at the helm. "You are the best I have had, without a doubt the ideal one for me. Never have I had anyone like you." 

Green eyes slowly blinked open at the words. Erestor shifted, attempted to right himself, but Glorfindel merely pulled him back by the hair, not hard enough to hurt, but well enough to add to the pleasure and keep him still as that cock continued to push inside of him. 

"There are so many filthy things I could tell you and they would all be true." Their eyes met once again in the mirror. Glorfindel never broke rhythm once even as he continued to hiss the words in Erestor’s ears. "How I love seeing you like this, spread open for me like this. I can tell you that there is little that is more satisfying than to watch you, _make_ you come on my cock..."

A particularly good thrust had Erestor shuddering and groaning. He was so close, and so it took him by surprise when Glorfindel pushed and pulled at him once again, this time somehow being able to turn them so Erestor’s back was against the cold glass of the mirror. Any protest died on his lips the moment Glorfindel pushed his cock inside him once again, filling that emptiness and pinning him in place with a warm body in front of him in contrast to the cool glass on his back. 

Glorfindel’s kiss, when it came, was hot and sweet and washed through Erestor like honey. The captain went on speaking. "All of those and yet, I find that they are not the first words I want to say, nor even the second.” He said these things against Erestor’s lips this time, each syllable tickling the already tingling skin. He pushed them against the mirror and barely allowed Erestor room to move, just keeping him in place to receive those hard and steady thrusts. “You may choose to believe them or not, but the myriad of words I have for you in my mind are not just the kinds of dirty things this book has made me think and do to you. I want you. I want to get to know you – what you like, where you have been. You probably do not want to extend this beyond the book and that terrifies me." 

Erestor shut his eyes at the sensory onslaught. “Glorfindel—”

It seemed, however, that Glorfindel truly was not playing fair. He stopped the words from coming with an even harder thrust that knocked the breath out of Erestor, effectively distracting him as his head fell audibly back in pleasure against the hard glass. 

“I told you that you need not say anything,” said the captain. 

It could not be helped, truly, the moment that Erestor surged up and kissed the other this time around. He moved against Glorfindel in a way that had the golden-haired captain crying out, and for all the teasing and the taunting of the night, it was Glorfindel who came first, spilling in Erestor, on him, on the floor, making a mess of things. 

“Erestor, Erestor…” over and over while Glorfindel rode out that high. Barely giving time to rest, a large hand wrapped around Erestor’s still aching cock and it was Erestor who cried out this time around. "Show me," Glorfindel hissed against his lips, claiming kisses when he could, but mostly keeping his eyes on Erestor, bright eyes intent and watching as he worked that cock in his fist. "Valar, come. Show me."

Erestor came with a burst of light behind his shut eyes, and he could do naught but hold on to Glorfindel tightly as he shuddered through his own release. He only half registered the lips capturing his own, the tongue prying his mouth open, the sweat on both of them and from the corner of his eyes, the blinding brightness of the flames...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adventures of my search history for this weird fic continues. I have learned more about the history of mirrors and their different styles than I can practically use in my life. I cannot wait for this piece of knowledge to be relevant. XD
> 
> My thanks to Lena for suggesting the story for this chapter. I actually had a different story in mind, but this one I thought was the better one, and went with it. ♥


	10. Imladris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have it, the last chapter! My sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone who left comments in this story (reassuring me that I am not alone in enjoying these crazy ideas, lol) and for putting up with my intermittent updates (because RL sucks and this adulting business is such a drag). I hope you had as much fun with this series as I did, and I hope to see you in other stories! :)
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Will I make another series as kinky as this? _Should I do something as crazy as this again??_~~
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter features the early Rivendell family, hurray! Elrond, Lindir and Saelbeth get a cameo. ♡

Glorfindel woke slowly. He seemed to have fallen asleep on a desk with his head resting on his folded arms, so that there was an uncomfortable knot on his neck that had him sitting back carefully. He pressed his fingers on the sore point as he moved his neck from side to side, testing it, all the while letting his eyes roam around his surroundings—

That was when he realised where he was. 

Books old and new alike lined in shelves of dark wood, candles lit in their respective sconces, unoccupied desks and chairs for reading -- it was definitely the library back in Imladris. Glorfindel shot up to his feet, wincing slightly as he turned too abruptly to check his surroundings. But the room was empty save for himself and the books, and even when he strained his ears, all he heard was the crackling of candle flame touching wax. 

Even the desk from which he had awoken was clear of anything on it, and indeed, there was no black book anywhere to be found. A quick check of himself also told Glorfindel he was as he was supposed to be – the clothes he was wearing, the dagger on its sheath around his hip. By all appearances, it seemed that he was back to that evening when he thought to take a walk around the main house and found the library. Before that information could overwhelm him, however, there was one other thing that he needed to see.

He left his place and began to look around. He checked the aisles, went past shelves, even checked to find the door to a back room locked. Silence was all around him so that the sounds of his slippers against the wood of the floor seemed harsher than they had any right to be, but even then, the noise did not summon any Elf from between the aisles, telling off anyone who dared to create a ruckus in a library. 

Erestor was nowhere to be found. Glorfindel was alone.

*

It had been a restless night. 

If only Glorfindel knew which of Imladris’ many doors were Erestor’s, he would have wanted to check and speak to him, see if he was all right. (Telling him that it was rude to leave one's companion after a shared ordeal was over, with nary a word of farewell, would also be prudent.) Alas, that was not to be, for Glorfindel chose too late an hour for his walk, and most Elves were already sleeping. He found nobody in the halls to ask, until regretfully, he went back to his rooms to wait out until morning. 

The next day, however, was not any better. No one had seen Erestor yet. Glorfindel was at least eventually able to learn which door to knock at, but even there came no answer there.

Another day passed and he could not find him. _Two days_ , during which time Glorfindel had begun to grow worried. What if Erestor did not get out? It made no sense, but then when they started, Glorfindel would not have even believed that there was any power in Middle-Earth that could trap two Elves in an enchanted book. Who knew what else the book was capable of doing? 

Glorfindel was soon back in the library. 

“Please, Lord Glorfindel,” said the rattled librarian. “Books in the back shelves are off-limits and we are not allowed to take anything from there. The rooms have also been locked since yesterday, so right now really is not a good time.”

“Surely someone has the keys to that door,” pressed Glorfindel. “Who has them?”

The librarian seemed to hesitate, but eventually answered. “Lord Erestor is keeper of the keys, although Lord Elrond of course has a copy.”

“No one has seen Erestor for the past two days. Does that not strike you as strange?”

“Well, no, my lord,” said the irritatingly calm (albeit now also confused-looking) Elf. “He has a habit of doing that. I do not know where he goes, but I understand he gives notice to my master, and of course, maybe Lord Elrond.” 

Glorfindel threw up his hands. “Who is your master?”

“The head librarian, Master Saelbeth.”

A quick run from the young librarian summoned a serious-looking Sinda who looked like he probably had Erestor’s emotional range. Glorfindel, however, was concerned with more pressing matters, and by that point, he had had enough practice with scowling scholars to be anymore intimidated by Saelbeth. 

“Master Saelbeth,” he greeted. “I was told that you might know of the chief counsellor’s whereabouts. I have checked with the usual people and no one has thus far been able to tell me anything helpful. Perhaps you have better news?”

“Nay, I do not.” Saelbeth’s tone had no inflection whatsoever. He looked sidelong at his assistant, and then blandly back at Glorfindel. “Although at times like this, we just understand that perhaps Master Erestor does not want to be found.”

Glorfindel frowned. “Doesn’t that Elf have work to do?”

“If he does, then he would be around. If he does not, then he is free to go wherever he wishes.”

“What if something happened to him, though? If this is the kind of attitude his staff takes when he disappears, then I am surprised he even lived to see this age at all!”

Saelbeth’s lips twitched in a way that was more a sneer than anything else. “Then you do not know him, my lord,” said the old librarian. “I only know of few things that could put the Chief Counsellor in any real danger, and none of those can be found in Imladris, much less in these days of peace. I would sooner say that someone is in danger with him than the other way around.”

Was being cryptic a thing with these scholars? Glorfindel had never met with a more stoic, more difficult group of Elves.

He tried a different tactic. 

“Surely, as head librarian, you have keys to all the library’s doors," he said, aiming to be reasonable. "I do not believe that only Elrond and Erestor have it, for they are not even always here, are they?” 

Saelbeth regarded Glorfindel with a level gaze, calculating. “I am told that you need to acquire a book.”

The captain sighed. “Look, please understand. I do not _need_ to take the book with me. I just need to know if it exists. Could you just check the stack and see if such a book as the one I am searching for is in it?”

“If I checked the shelves and confirm to you the existence of your book, then would you stop harassing our staff?”

Had Glorfindel not been told that this Saelbeth was under Erestor, he still would have quickly been able to place the Elf just from this conversation alone. “ _Yes_ , for the love of the Valar. Will you help me or not?”

As it turned out, the head librarian did have access to the restricted shelves. He asked Glorfindel for particulars, which really consisted of nothing more than “a plain, black book” in terms of appearance.

“It… ah—” Glorfindel scrambled at how to best describe the book’s contents “—consists of stories… 'fairy tales’, I think is what they call them, popular among Menfolk. These are versions of popular tales except… perhaps you would not tell these ones to children.”

“Fairy tales… that are not for children.” Glorfindel suppressed a wince at the familiar look of unimpressed disbelief on Saelbeth's face. Obviously, the captain was not building a very good impression with Imladris’ library staff. 

“You will know what I am talking about when you see it,” he insisted. He made a gesture with his hands. “It is about this big and this thick. The pages do not look so old – I would say about late Second Age.”

“Aye, understood.” _Finally_ , Saelbeth gave a stiff nod. “Wait here, please.” 

The master and his assistant were only a few steps away when Glorfindel remembered something, and he called them back. “Wait, Saelbeth!” he said. “Perhaps it is best if you go in alone. And gloves would be wise.”

If Saelbeth thought this advice strange, his face gave no clue. He merely looked back at Glorfindel and tipped his head at the captain. “That is usually the case, my lord.”

It was a grueling wait after that. The young librarian from earlier, having been dismissed, returned to his post, leaving Glorfindel to pace the area in that library with a carpet (it would not do bothering the room’s inhabitants more than he already had). 

A myriad of thoughts filled his mind. Was he overreacting? What if the others were right in their claim that Erestor was fine, and was just somewhere he did not wish to be found? No one out of anyone Glorfindel asked seemed worried about him. If he had been in better spirits that day, Glorfindel would have laughed. Trust Erestor to have such a strange reputation. At the same time, it gave the captain an odd sort of pride to see Erestor regarded so highly, that even snooty Elves like Saelbeth seemed to be loyal to him. 

(Aah, but if Erestor were to find out about such thoughts, he would probably have a few choice words for Glorfindel himself.)

But then, if Erestor was around, why did he not seek out Glorfindel? Was it not to be expected that one would—no, well, scratch that. Glorfindel could think of a dozen reasons why the Erestor he knew would escape from a book and bolt without a word to his erstwhile companion. Never mind that said companion was someone he knew intimately in the short time that it took them to do… whatever one might call the thing they had been through. Was that what happened? Granted, Glorfindel did think of this the day before and so thought he should just leave Erestor to it, but he also could not shake off the possibility that perhaps Erestor was _not_ in Imladris, and that he could be in danger.

Glorfindel shook his head. He just needed the assurance that Erestor was around, but of course, searching for him on any given day, apparently, could easily turn into some twisted scavenger hunt. What a situation to be in. 

He turned at the sound of footsteps behind him and immediately saw Saelbeth’s approach. Upon reaching conversation range, the librarian cut straight to the quick: “There is no such black book as you have described, Lord Glorfindel.”

“Are you certain?” Glorfindel was quick to ask, dismayed at the news. “Did you check again when you—”

“The back shelves, perhaps contrary to what you may imagine, is not a large collection. I can check it three times in the time it took me to leave you earlier and my return now. There is no black book of tales, my lord.”

Glorfindel found that he was out of reasons to keep the old master. Not shortly after that did Saelbeth take his leave, claiming to have work to return to, leaving Glorfindel at a loss and wracking his brain for what else to do. 

The absence of the black book was a conundrum. On the one hand, if the book was nowhere to be found, then Glorfindel could hold out hope that Erestor did also return – as should be expected in the first place – and that he had the book with him. However, with life in Imladris passing along as was its wont, with days so bright and with seeming no mind to its captain plagued by worries, another thought, a trickle of doubt, was beginning to form. 

With no Erestor and no book to be found, it seemed Glorfindel was facing a dead end. The only options seemed to be to wait things out, or to make his rounds again and ask for the chief counsellor’s whereabouts in the hopes that someone, at some point, would have seen him.

*

Salvation came on the third day, in the form of Elrond Half-Elven. 

Of course, Glorfindel had hoped to ask him first, but he had not seen the Half-Elf in recent days either. Granted, being lord of a valley was demanding work, and it was perfectly within reason for Elrond to be elsewhere than his own office. Now more than ever did Glorfindel understand the difficulty of having a settlement as vast and spread out as Imladris. 

“Erestor?” asked Elrond, finally at his desk, looking curiously up at Glorfindel. “Yes, he is here in the valley, though I have not seen him.”

After the hunt of the past two days, to hear this was almost a shock to the system. When the words sank in, relief washed over Glorfindel. “He is here?” he asked, in near disbelief. This, at least, was one battle won. “Do you know where I can find him?”

“Oh, I see. Has he been missing again?” 

The captain sighed and rubbed his face in exasperation. “Does it not strike anyone as strange to have a chief counsellor so prone to disappearing? Why is everyone so relaxed about this?” 

This, however, was only met with a chuckle from the Elven lord. “We have gotten used to Erestor over the centuries, as I see you would need to do as well now that you are living with us. You even look rather winded. Do not tell me you have been looking for him all this time.”

“Well,” began Glorfindel, ducking from Elrond’s appraising gaze. “I need him for something urgent.”

Elrond's head tipped to one side. “May I ask what it is? Does it concern the guards?”

“Nay, nothing like that. This is more… personal in nature.”

Dark eyebrows rose. “I did not know you had anything of that sort with Erestor,” said the Lord of the Valley, and Glorfindel suppressed the urge to clear his throat. 

“It is a recent development.”

It seemed that Elrond regarded Glorfindel with those clear grey eyes for a long time, and for a moment, Glorfindel wondered how many times he had to endure these kinds of stares in Imladris. He vaguely remembered the late High King once making a joke about how Elrond gathered all the old, stuck-up scholars in Lindon and took them with him to Imladris, leaving the Sea-side kingdom a little less intelligent, but with its air at least significantly lighter. Was this the sort of crowd Glorfindel was living with now? What a daunting thought. 

“I do not always divulge a good friend’s whereabouts when he clearly does not wish to be found,” said Elrond, grey eyes unblinking. Glorfindel found that, at the very least, Elrond’s eyes were kinder. The Half-Elf slowly seemed to relax, leaning on one hand, his secret ring, Vilya, catching the light. “I am, however, willing to make this exemption. He is currently in the east gardens, near the fountains. He should be sitting on one of the benches there.” Elrond smiled. “Good luck.”

*

The east gardens were one of the valley’s more secluded places. Imladris had many gardens, even orchards where trees bore different fruits from the same branches. The eastern parts, however, were the last to be developed in its building, and so had fewer residents. Plants there grew wilder, less shaped by Elven hands, but it was still Imladris well enough, and had with it the peace and protection bestowed on it by Lord Elrond. 

Once Glorfindel knew where to look, it was not difficult to find him. For one, the sudden lurch in his chest was helpful, if not also worrisome, for nearly at the same moment did he catch a glimpse of that familiar fall of black hair. 

It was Erestor, he was sure. He had been with him, woken up disoriented and had to find him, far too many times for Glorfindel not to know it when he was looking at Erestor from afar. Not to mention, he had also been acquainted with that body far too many times for him not to immediately recognise its shape even clothed in blacks and greys. 

But here Erestor was in daylight, in Imladris, and for some strange reason, Glorfindel found himself hesitating. Too clear did the air suddenly seem to be, the brisk autumn breeze cool on his cheeks, nothing at all like how it had been in the book. They were back in Imladris and Erestor was high counsellor here, _chief_ even among them who were part of Elrond's household, and the way he looked and sat with his back straight on that bench were stark reminders of all these things.

Before Glorfindel could think twice about approaching, however, his boots crunching on dry leaves alerted the dark-haired Elf of his presence. 

Erestor slowly turned, black hair sliding smoothly along the silk of his robes. In the next moment, Glorfindel found himself pierced by those sharp eyes, green in the dappled light of the trees, as deeply coloured and vivid as the leaves. Glorfindel thought the counsellor would speak, but he merely tipped his head at the captain in question. 

Glorfindel, therefore, found himself speaking first. “May I have a moment?” he asked, the formal tone coming freely. “I have been looking for you these past few of days.”

“I heard,” said Erestor. His voice was low and quiet, suited to his surroundings, but also somewhat cold. Was this how they used to converse? Glorfindel could not even remember anymore. “How might I be of help, Lord Glorfindel?”

Pushing back the alien feeling of nerves, Glorfindel approached the bench where the other sat and took a seat on the space beside him. It was a bench wide enough to fit four people, and so was perfectly comfortable being shared by two Elves. Glorfindel convinced himself of this despite the air not being comfortable at all, even as he surreptitiously stole glances of his companion. 

Erestor was back, for good or for ill, in all senses of the word. The formal voice, the efficient movements, even the perfect braids on his hair – he looked every bit the way he used to be from back when it all began. These things only served to bring back the niggling doubt Glorfindel had found himself nursing from the day before. 

Was it all even real?

“This is… going to sound strange,” he began to say, though he was still unsure how best to approach this. “A few nights ago... nay. Rather, were you ever in the library recently? In recent days maybe?”

“I am often in the library, my lord, nearly every evening,” answered Erestor. “Can I help you with something? Although if it is a book you are looking for, we have Elves working there that would also be of equal help to you.”

Glorfindel frowned at this response. “I am, in fact, looking for a book, but I have asked and they do not have it. You said—that is, I know it to be kept in the back shelves, but the head librarian claims that it is not there.”

“No one outside of the library staff has access to the back shelves. If the book in question is kept in there, then likely there is a reason for it and it will not be given out freely.” 

“I know all that, but with this one, I really just need to know if even exists at all. Two days ago I was so sure, but now...” 

The whole encounter suddenly felt surreal. When was the last time they conversed like this? It felt so long ago. It was strange to be sitting this close to Erestor and not be touching, or even just making jokes or teasing him. But such things just seemed inappropriate now, and something told Glorfindel that Erestor would not be welcoming of such things, and would not protest in the way Glorfindel was used to, either. Were Erestor to respond to such things with confusion, as though Glorfindel was but a mere acquaintance, almost a stranger... it would be intolerable. 

“A few nights ago,” Glorfindel pushed himself to say, “I woke in the library not quite sure how it was that I even fell asleep there at all, especially when I am not one to do such things. You were supposed to be with me, but you were not. And this book..." He shook his head, wondering if he was even making any sense. "It is really important that I find this book.”

“Are you sure you did not dream of this said book, my lord?”

Glorfindel's eyes lifted to Erestor. Those words almost made him waver, and he was close to standing up and leaving. Green eyes looked back at him, cool and piercing even in the shade of the trees, and at first Glorfindel could give him that, that he was indeed the same as he used to be and that the blankness on his face was perfect and convincing. But there also was something in the other that he could not place, and his hand lifted before he even realised it.

“What are you doing?” 

Erestor leaned sharply back before Glorfindel could touch his cheek. The captain did not insist, and he took back his hand, half-unconsciously, so that it hovered in the air for a moment before returning to his side on the stone bench. 

Glorfindel was watching for it, though. It took another moment... and then _there_ , that flush, faint but surely blooming and difficult to hide in skin so fair. 

"You right bastard," he ended up saying through gritted teeth, exasperated and annoyed in equal parts. “You do know what I am talking about."

“I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Elbereth, Erestor!" Glorfindel turned to him fully then, sitting sideways and taking up more space. Erestor immediately moved away, but Glorfindel grabbed his wrist. "Where were you these past days? Did you think I would not worry? I thought you were still in there, I had no clue at all that you even got out!"

Dark brows furrowed in what would pass as irritation. “Where I have been is none of your concern, and obviously, I am perfectly all right.”

“Well, thank the Valar for that. When were you planning to let me know of this?”

The counsellor heaved a great sigh. “Glorfindel, let me go.”

“You have it, don’t you?" Glorfindel pressed. "The book. Did you keep it?”

He nearly jumped at the hand that came on top of his, but all it did was extract his fingers from around Erestor's wrist, before quickly letting go. Erestor's gaze was heavy when it settled on him again. “Do not concern yourself with restricted books anymore, Lord Glorfindel. Just forget it. None of it was real.”

The words dropped like heavy weights in Glorfindel's chest. “What?”

If anything, the lines between Erestor's brows just went deeper. “You noticed, didn’t you, upon waking? Nothing changed, and barely any time even passed. The candles in the library were as tall as we left them.” Erestor sighed, eyes dropping to the grass, and his voice came more subdued when he spoke. “It was a dream. Barely that, even – it was nothing more than a flicker in time, and it passed unnoticed, as did many daydreams like it.”

Glorfindel stared wide-eyed at Erestor. Those were the things he thought about all this time? Days when he was gone and nowhere to be found, and the conclusion he came up with was none of it was real? 

Sure, Glorfindel did not think it was going to be easy. He was no fool, and Erestor never returned his affections even when Glorfindel let them slip. He thought perhaps that given time, Erestor could be convinced, but it was going to be more difficult if the other chose to deny it all completely. 

"A dream though it might have been," he began, brows setting in a way that mirrored the other's frown, "it was a shared one, and that makes it real enough. My concern for you, the affection I feel for you at this moment, are real enough."

"Feelings that shall surely fade, given time now that we are out of the book's influence."

"No, Erestor--" Glorfindel reached out to him, but Erestor shifted his head once again and moved away. Having grown used to freely doing so, the denial now felt like cold water being dumped over Glorfindel's head. His hands, too, felt unbearably empty as it wavered between the two of them. 

"I need to return to my work." Without letting him finish, Erestor stood and began walking back towards the path. He paused for just a moment to throw the parting words. "Rest assured that the book is somewhere safe, and it shall not be bothering anyone else. Good day, Lord Glorfindel."

*

How was it, Glorfindel raged in his mind as he stalked down the hallways, that one Elf could have so much power and influence without being king? 

After that conversation in the gardens, he thought it best to leave Erestor alone. He thought the bastard deserved to settle down after everything that had happened, and clearly, he was not yet ready to face Glorfindel and his ideas this early. Glorfindel figured he would be soon enough, after some rest, and as they were living in the same house now, it was not like Erestor could avoid Glorfindel forever. 

Trust Erestor to find a way out even from that. 

“ _Eryn Galen?_ ”

Elrond, damn him, apparently just let his chief counsellor do whatever he wanted to do. The Elf-lord even sat calmly behind his desk, writing whatever it was that lord of the valleys wrote, enduring Glorfindel’s tirade with admirable grace. 

"What business could he possibly have in Eryn Galen?" asked Glorfindel. 

“He forwarded a convincing proposal about helping Thranduil with his newly inherited responsibilities. I found little reason to stop him, as I do agree that the new king might need aid. Erestor has been adviser for many kings, so far be it from me to be greedy and keep him here.”

After the events of so many days, Glorfindel himself had not even had the chance to rest. The feeling now was not unlike being transported to a new story, carried by winds and not knowing what to expect next. 

“Nienna, all merciful,” he hissed out behind his fist, pressed now against his forehead where he could feel a headache settling. "How is it that he does these things without notice? I did not even know. Does he not need guards if he wishes to travel such a long way?" 

“Erestor travels best when he is alone; he says it is three times faster. He also told me that he already informed you.”

“Does it not concern you, Lord Elrond, that your chief adviser is a liar?”

Unexpectedly, Elrond just laughed at this. It was not even a modest chuckle either, but a full, hearty laugh. “I would be concerned, yes,” he said once he was done, calmly wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes, he laughed so much, “if to me he is not completely transparent. I did, however, trust his reasons for doing the things the way he did them. Ah, but on his behalf, I do apologise for all of this, Lord Glorfindel. I know he can be a difficult Elf.”

Difficult was a whole level below what Erestor was as far as Glorfindel was concerned. "When is he returning?"

"Summer, I expect. No use travelling through winter, and knowing Erestor, he would wait for fair weather. Spring time, too, is nice in the Hall of the Woodland Elves. You should ask him to bring you with him next time."

After that conversation, it was all Glorfindel could do not to slam his bedroom door behind him when he stalked inside it for peace and sanctuary. 

Erestor was insane! Glorfindel would not have pinned him as someone who would run away, but now that he thought more about it, he should not have been so surprised. But Glorfindel was more used to allowing Erestor his space, figuratively speaking, and then expecting for them to come together again after the end of a day. Granted, for much of that time, circumstances had forced Erestor to settle things within a short period of time, for it would have been difficult to be intimate with somebody whose literal head you wanted to cut off.

Putting a good span of Middle-Earth between them, however… 

Glorfindel released a great breath as he dropped heavily on his window sill. Arien was setting outside of them, painting the sky purple. All around him the valley was quiet, and he could not help but wonder where Erestor was now. Glorfindel did not even know what time of day he left; he could be anywhere, thinking of where to find shelter, if such things were his way. Likely, like most seasoned warriors Glorfindel knew, Erestor would stop just so his steed could rest, without needing sleep himself. He therefore wondered what Erestor would think about as he wiled his time away under the stars. Surely, he would think of the Elf he left mercilessly behind in Imladris. If that would be the case, then Glorfindel would make sure that despite the distance, their thoughts would meet in whichever place Irmo – perhaps even Eru – deemed for people’s thoughts of other people would drift. In there, at least, they could meet, and would not be alone. 

What unsettled him, pissed him off most of all, was that despite the frustration and the anger and every righteous thing he could feel about Erestor leaving, they were not foremost in his mind. Instead, he missed him, badly, terribly, everything from his warm hands, his perfect face, the amusing way he got riled so easily, even the silences that told Glorfindel that there must be an entire mountain of things and secrets he did not know yet about Erestor. How badly did he want to know, to pull Erestor to some secret corner and just make him talk about everything and nothing of import, never stopping until morning comes and pulls them apart to return to the rest of the world. Then, come evening, Glorfindel would seek Erestor out again, and perhaps he would share a little about himself this time around, things that were not written in the books that celebrated him, secrets that then only Erestor would know. 

Glorfindel took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, let his head drop back to the wood of his window sill as his thoughts took him where they willed, with the world around him fading into night.

*

Life went on, as was its wont, no matter how big or small the hurdles. Imladris had ever been a bustling settlement, now a true city with so many new faces having moved to it from Lindon, faces that greeted Glorfindel cheerfully when they passed. Elves inquired about his days, asked him about the guards, thanked him for his work, and shared with him gossip when they were available (which was, in Imladris, rather often, if not always). 

Winter even saw some light snow. Glorfindel wondered how much of it was truly experienced in that part of Middle-Earth and how much of it was Elrond’s work. The ring of power that Gil-galad gifted to his herald truly was being put to good use here, for never had Glorfindel seen a more settled group of Elves, even only a few years after the war. There was a comfort around Imladris that was more than the peace of a hidden valley, more than the fresh smell of abundant water and the healthy woods all around them. 

Glorfindel used this time himself for healing. Memories of his time in the black book still remained with him, and he realised that perhaps Erestor had been right about some things. Some exhaustion remained but lifted over the course of winter, and the more urgent desperation for the Elf with whom he spent all that time with settled, became less pronounced. How they came together was hardly healthy, how ever Glorfindel looked at it in the sober light of day, and he could understand Erestor's misgivings.

That was not to say that he still agreed with what Erestor had done, for Glorfindel was still of the mind that Erestor left as one who inflicted a gaping wound on someone, then left it open to fester. That was not to say either that his feelings completely changed, to disappear as Erestor expected, for even so induced, he still believed that something good and true could grow out of it all. 

What he did or did not do behind the privacy of his own doors, whose voice he heard in his ears as he let the memories of a body writhing against his wash through him, was nobody’s business. But once or twice, he did entertain the vindictive idea to describe everything in detail in a letter, address it to Erestor, and let it run across Rhovanion, exchanging hands between messengers from both Imladris and Eryn Galen, until finally reaching the chief counsellor deep in the Woodland Realm. What Glorfindel would not give to see such an obscene letter find Erestor, to see the blush of anger and affront and _more_ spread across that face, there in the middle of the king’s halls. 

But such were only fantasies, and in the end, Glorfindel decided to leave Erestor to his peace. Winter passed on to stirring, when the air was not so cold and some of the early flowers bloomed, though not everything yet as fully as they would in spring. Then came spring, and Glorfindel looked around to see what kind of yellow flowers bloomed in Imladris. How annoyed would Erestor be to find his office filled with them, just every corner and opening finding a yellow flower tucked in its space? Perhaps Erestor would come in later, too late that the flowers could not wait, and all he would find were dried and withered things. Well, Glorfindel thought, if that were the case, then perhaps all the better, and his revenge would be sweeter.

*

By the time summer arrived, Glorfindel had swung between calm and vindictive spite too many times to count. Erestor arrived as unannounced as he left, and he integrated himself back to the bustling valley as seamlessly as no one with his social graces should have the capability to do. Glorfindel only even found out about his return because Elrond let something slip, when he clued Glorfindel in that he would bring his proposal up to Erestor for his review, when the other was done settling down. 

Suffice it to say, after an evening of knocking at Erestor’s door and receiving no answer, Glorfindel had had enough. 

Midday found him tapping one of the scribes (a fellow named Silindë) on the shoulder and asking him to switch places with him. The young scribe made a squeaking sound – Glorfindel still had that effect on some Elves and he could not quite wean them out of it – and immediately stood up to take Glorfindel’s seat on another table. 

Glorfindel, in turn, sat down right beside Erestor. 

If anyone found it all strange, nobody said anything. Glorfindel could feel Elrond’s gaze on him, but what sort of expression the Elf-lord could be sporting, he could not really tell. Anyway, his mind was on other things, and with a cursory check – Silindë had not yet begun eating, apparently – he took a gulp from a wine goblet before facing the chief counsellor. 

"You are ridiculous,” he said to him. "It was obviously real – real enough, anyway, which I hope your little trip had successfully let you realise. You say it would surely fade, but it still has not for me, and right now I am waiting for an apology."

The conversation immediately died down around them. 

"What is _happening_?" asked Lindir, chief minstrel from Lindon’s court and one of the Elves who came with Glorfindel when a host of them transferred to Imladris. Instead of the expected confusion at the events taking place before him, the minstrel instead had a wide, excited grin on his face. 

Glorfindel only spared him a glance before he looked back at Erestor, who had stopped eating. “Why don't we just try it out? I do not understand why this has to be so difficult. Maybe something like shared meals, perhaps, dinner and the like."

"With candlelight?" Lindir asked excitedly. 

Erestor’s response, when it came, came through gritted teeth. "An interesting suggestion, Captain, although the tantrum is unnecessary given that we are even already having luncheon together."

"Yes, but with Lindir in my ear and Saelbeth's face scowling at me from across my plate." 

The head librarian, who was indeed seated across Glorfindel, balked, clearly offended. "Why, I never..."

"Is there a problem, Counsellors?" asked Elrond from behind his own goblet. He may or may not have been hiding a smile. 

Glorfindel sighed at his lord. "I beg your pardons, of course, for I myself had hoped all this would not be necessary. However, I am finding it difficult to speak with the Chief Counsellor, and seeing as the matter is one of great import to me, I’m afraid I must do what I believe is the only way to do so.”

“Oh, apology accepted, Lord Glorfindel. We do not even mind at all!” Lindir very obviously elbowed Saelbeth, who scowled at the minstrel and did not even hide his cry of pain. 

Erestor, by now, was rubbing one side of his head. "I am talking now, Captain, but I do wish that you would not pick such an atrocious topic of conversation in a _public dining hall_."

"I concur," said Elrond calmly from Erestor’s other side. "The gardens, though, are lovely this time of year, and has always been socially acceptable venues for such conversations."

“I’m afraid I have tried that, Lord Elrond, but it did not work. In fact, if you remember, that got me half a year of Erestor running off to hide in Eryn Galen.”

“Is that what it was?” asked Lindir, his grin entirely too wide. Saelbeth, in turn, just sighed and resumed his meal.

Elrond looked at his tablemates before raising a bland eyebrow at Glorfindel. “No? Well, try again. Maybe it was the wrong garden.”

Erestor’s dark head fell on steepled hands. "Just shut up, all of you. I accept."

"Which one?" Lindir all but cried in unmitigated delight. "The conversation in the gardens or the poorly veiled but absolutely _thrilling_ offer to be lovers?" 

This time, Glorfindel could not help his lips from twitching. "Were you to ask me, I would say one option is preferred over the other."

Erestor, however, ignored him. "Just the gardens, Master Minstrel."

"Let me know, Master Erestor," said Saelbeth finally, "should you need assistance in burying the body. I can bring shovels."

This, of course, earned the librarian a glare from Glorfindel, but any words he might have for the other was stopped by Erestor already rising from his seat. 

"Thank you, Master Saelbeth, but I believe I have reason and energy enough to _do it with my bare hands_."

*

They found themselves in one of the orchards this time around. The area was wide and the ground was covered with different leaves, plums, cherries, and apricots just to name a few. Even in this time in summer, they saw no other Elves, as perhaps everyone was still in the dining halls, sharing meals. 

Once they found an appropriately private spot, Erestor immediately rounded on Glorfindel. “You are an idiot, do you know that?” he nearly bellowed. “What were you thinking? I have forgotten how much of an uncouth bastard you can be when you put your mind to it.”

“I am not the first bastard to throw an unfair hand,” Glorfindel shot back. “Yes, I could have done that with more grace, but if you ask me, you had it coming. I have tried calling for you, but you still would not answer.”

“Perhaps I have nothing to say to you!”

The words were flung right at Glorfindel, but the captain was still and stood his ground. 

“I had hoped to speak to you upon your return,” he said, voice calm despite his companion’s agitation. “Erestor, I am desperate. You would not even so much as glance my way—"

“And so you would charge toward me like a raging bull?” asked Erestor, face flushed in disbelief. “Just how easy are you? Find yourself in some shady book and suddenly you think yourself in love? This is exactly why such books are dangerous, because there are fools like you who are so easily swayed!”

“Are you saying then that what we did there has not swayed you at all?” Glorfindel stepped forward. “So you would fall to bed, just like that, with anyone, and then forget it?” 

“In the first place, that you were the one I fell in there with was circumstantial. I could have fallen in there with... with _Lindir_ and I would have had to do the same things with him.”

Glorfindel stood silent, but his jaw was tense. It was on the tip of his tongue to throw an angry taunt that sure, had that been the case, then Erestor ought to do what it takes to get out, but perhaps he ought to be kinder, for Lindir seemed less hardy and stubborn as Glorfindel was. The words, however, could not escape him, for his mind was suddenly filled with unspeakable things. A strong wave of defiance, of possessiveness, came through him at the images that came, of Erestor with someone else, so that he found himself taking Erestor’s arm. 

“That you could still even fall in there with somebody else angers me. Never mention it again.” His voice was hard, he knew, and he could see it in the way Erestor’s eyes widened. “Where is the book? Have you gotten rid of it?” 

Erestor was quick to recover, and he pulled his arm away from Glorfindel’s hold. “What kind of fool do you take me for that you think I would fall for the same trap twice? The book is none of your concern, so stop asking.” 

“Erestor, I beg you.” This time, Glorfindel took another step forward and held both of Erestor’s hands. The counsellor tried to pull away again, but Glorfindel’s hold was sure, secure, and he held Erestor’s hands tight, pressed his fingers into the smooth palms. “All right. If you say you are safe from the book, then fine, I trust you. But for everything else, you have to listen to me. What do I have to do? I already think this way about you and I just—” He took a breath. “I still want you.” 

Erestor took a moment to respond, and when he did, his voice was quiet. “How can you be in love with someone you have been with for the ridiculous amount of time we spent in that book?” 

“The better question is: how can you not feel anything for someone whom you have slept with as thoroughly as we have done?” asked Glorfindel. “Admittedly, my feelings might have been accelerated by the fact that we fell into bed since day one... and then non-stop, more or less, after that.” 

The flush returned on Erestor’s face, but he frowned up at Glorfindel. “Surely that sounds wrong to you.”

Glorfindel, however, just adjusted his grip, his fingers curving around Erestor’s more comfortably. Too long, he told himself, too long to have not had even this, and it was such a comfort now, having Erestor back with him in Imladris. “I told you when we started out that things were not as horrible to me as they could have been. Much of that was because it was you. I already noticed you long before all of this. I have always had a good opinion of you, for you are intelligent, intriguing, and yes, beautiful in the way I liked. Luckily for me, with the way you are, you also made things easy for me in there. You were pleasant company—not just in that way, although definitely yes, in that way, too.” Glorfindel shook his head, the fresh wave of depraved memories returning to him then, making him feel breathless. “Perhaps looking back, had anyone asked me if I would ever consider you for a lover, were I to know you were open to the idea...” He sighed, gripped the other tighter, earnest. “Erestor, I would not even think twice.”

Erestor visibly swallowed, and his gaze dropped to the ground off to the side. “Of course, it is easy to say such things now, in hindsight.”

“I missed you. What do you want me to say?”

“It was barely a year.”

“Four seasons!” cried Glorfindel. “The parting was too abrupt! I have been with you nearly at all times before that, and suddenly you were just gone. I do not know what that had been like for you, but for me, let us just say that after a few days, I was this close to kicking and raging at your door, and would have destroyed it, had the threat of Elrond’s disapproval not stopped me.”

This, finally, stole a laugh from Erestor. It was a brief huff of air that the chief counsellor immediately ceased, pressing his lips tight. Glorfindel wanted desperately to kiss him. 

“Erestor, please.” His hands found Erestor’s face this time, cupping it on both sides and lifting so that he could look into those eyes. “A chance is all I ask. You can see I want you still, even after all this time. And so what if we began it all rather unconventionally? We cannot help that now. Can we not just start over?”

“I do not think we can start over when we have already bedded each other at least eight times before this.” It was gratifying to see Erestor this close, breaths coming short and fast. His lips looked delectably red and sweeter than any fruit that grew around them. “Not even counting how many rounds each one had been.”

Glorfindel bit his own lip to keep himself from coming down and taking that sweet mouth in his own. “What do you want?” he asked, nearly a whisper now as they seemed to have drifted close to one another. “Romance? Because I can do romance.” 

“The Valar forbid you be given free reign at romance.” 

Erestor truly was beautiful held in Glorfindel’s hands. He brushed a thumb against that sharp jaw and Erestor’s eyes just fluttered closed. He reopened them a moment later, with visible effort, and the sight of it filled Glorfindel with so much satisfaction. He grinned, licked his lips, smiled wider when he saw it mirrored by the other, leaving Erestor's lips glistening and tempting. He let his words brush against those lips when he spoke. “I will have you know, I am rather good at it.”

"No, I do not doubt you are capable of it. What I do doubt is my ability to withstand it." 

That Erestor was the one to kiss him first was a victory, but a short-lived one given how Glorfindel was immediately filled with desire and relief that he gamely fell along with it. Lips parted under Erestor's insistent tongue and Glorfindel groaned, just taking it in, sucking and twisting it along with his own and letting that familiar sweetness wash through where there had long been drought. 

They soon found themselves on the ground, sitting up with Erestor pressed against a tree. His dark head fell back against the bark as Glorfindel spread his legs and insinuated himself between them, fitting them snuggly and pressing them deliciously tight.

His next words were gasped out as a mouth started sucking at his neck. “I reserve the right to say I told you so, should this end in tears or with swords drawn at dawn, with our seconds watching in the sidelines.”

“So negative," said Glorfindel with a laugh as his hand crawled up inside the hem of Erestor's robes. "Just be quiet and give in already."

Ah, but he truly missed him so. There was no way they could have done more than this, Glorfindel shifting their clothes just enough for bare cocks to brush, pulling a delightfully surprised hiss out of Erestor. He took one of those beautiful hands and wrapped it around his own cock, groaning out his pleasure as he led their pace, fisting Erestor up and down and letting the other mirror the movement. He coaxed Erestor's mouth open, licked inside it, let it muffle his own moans as the pleasure built, heat rising between them, augmenting the warmth of that bright summer day. 

Erestor, of course, was first to recover afterwards. He wrinkled his nose at the mess they made and wiped his hand on the grass. "You have the emotional intelligence of a child."

Glorfindel laughed and rolled his eyes. "Really, just shut up, Counsellor. You kissed me first." He let himself catch his breath, even dropping beside Erestor against that tree and leaning his head on the other's shoulder. Birds fleeted in and out of the branches around them, chirping happily. “I cannot believe I am saying this, but do you also think that, now that we would be... courting? That we should abstain from, you know…”

“That might be wise."

Glorfindel sat back, surprised by the easy answer. "Don't agree so readily!" he complained. "How can you just say that?" 

Erestor made an irritated noise. “Are you an idiot? You suggested it. What do you even want me to say?”

"Never mind what I said, I take it back." Glorfindel looked between the two of them, noting their dishevelled state. No, definitely impossible. "We can do this. This round is even sort of tame. Perhaps we can stick with that for now."

"You are good with this?" asked Erestor, leaning back but raising an eyebrow at Glorfindel. He, too, was yet to fully catch his breath, and the faint sheen of sweat running down his neck was a temptation. "I was about to suggest we remedy that in the comforts of my room, but all right. Forget it, then."

The words, of course, immediately narrowed Glorfindel's field of view. Erestor upon a bed, them on _Erestor's bed_ , defiling it in ways Glorfindel had only thought about while the other was away... it was only one of the many fantasies he entertained in Erestor's absence, but it was definitely one of his favourites.

"No, I take it back. Let's do that, now, please." 

This time, it was Erestor who rolled his eyes, but he also laughed at the impatient way Glorfindel tugged at his hands and pulled him up. He let Glorfindel fix his robes, futile as it was given the many creases on it and the red spots on Erestor's neck that said clothes failed to hide. 

They took the long way back, staying clear of the dining halls and the surrounding areas where Elves would likely go after their meal. Glorfindel tried to hide his glee at the fact that Erestor was leading him by the hand, consciously or otherwise, Glorfindel was not even sure. He was led through empty hallways, and doors that passed through gardens, until finally they were near Erestor's door. (Glorfindel went there often enough to know it well.)

"So what _did_ happen to that book?" he asked. "Not that I am saying we should return to it someday or something crazy like that, but... it was not all bad, was it? I might even have an author to thank." 

Erestor sighed as he slowed them down to a walk. "Glorfindel..."

"I am just asking."

"If you want games, that can easily be arranged, and with safewords that actually work." 

"Safewords..." Glorfindel looked at the other in wonder. "I knew it. Just how experienced _are_ you?" 

And once again Erestor just laughed as he unlocked his door. Glorfindel let it go. That was one secret, he noted, but he had all the time in the world now to find out. He watched Erestor enter the threshold, beckoning Glorfindel in with a wicked and inviting look thrown over his shoulder, eyebrow even raised in a look of challenge. Glorfindel grinned, for that look did things to him and was just impossible to refuse, and so he did not. 

He followed Erestor, stepped through that door, and closed it solidly shut behind them.

\- fin - 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I laughed so much when Erestor ran away to Greenwood. That was not in my notes! I was as surprised as Glorfindel. Aaaaah, really, fuck this Elf, he deserves everything Glorfindel inflicts on him from now on. 
> 
> P. S. Two treats(ish) can be found on the first chapter of this story. 
> 
> (1) Very early on, I said that I was inspired by fractured fairy tales, some of which I encountered while playing interactive fiction (IF). The first chapter now has link to one of my favourite IF stories ("Bronze"), which conveniently is also one of the beginner games in the IF goldmine, and so is ideal for anyone who will be playing such games for the first time. (No, geez, IF is not porn. It's my narrative for this story that took after it, not the smut. ^^;)
> 
> (2) In my attempts to stick to RL Responsibilities, I somehow ended up making a moodboard for this story instead of writing the last chapter. Yes, I know it makes no sense because it's procrastination on top of another sort of procrastination, my brain malfunctions like this often. BUT you can now also find that moodboard in the first chapter (Otz). The images are very close to my aesthetic for this fic. ♥


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